The Alchemist
(1993)
Paulo Coelho
Character
Santiago - An adventurous young Andalusian shepherd determined to fulfill his Personal Legend, which is to find a treasure at the foot of the Egyptian pyramids. He is the book's protagonist.
The Alchemist - A 200-year-old, extremely powerful alchemist residing in the Al-Fayoum Oasis. He dresses in black, rides a white horse, and carries a scimitar, the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Elixir of Life. He often speaks cryptically, but he understands the Soul of the World and the importance of Personal Legends.
Crystal Merchant - A struggling merchant who owns a crystal shop on top of a desolate hill. His shop was once popular but lost much of its business as Tangier lost its status as Egypt’s premiere port town. He is a good-hearted, devout Muslim, but has a crippling fear of change.
Englishman - A well-educated science student determined to learn the secrets of alchemy by learning from a true alchemist. He is a skeptic and loves reading his books.
Melchizedek - The King of Salem. He appears to possess magical powers and helps those pursuing their Personal Legends.
Fatima - A beautiful and chaste young "desert woman" who lives at the Al-Fayoum Oasis. She understands that she must allow Santiago to travel in pursuit of his dream.
Gypsy - An old women living in Tarifa who interprets dreams. She reads palms and uses black-magic iconography, but she also keeps images of Christ.
Camel Driver - A friendly former orchard owner and devout Muslim who feels content with his life despite losing his orchard in a flood. He has made the pilgrimage to Mecca and lives his life in service of omens from God.
The Tribal Chieftain of Al-Fayoum - A strict and ruthless tribal chieftain who lives in luxury. He enforces Al-Fayoum's status as a neutral ground and believes in dreams and omens.
Merchant’s daughter - The beautiful and intelligent raven-haired daughter of the merchant who buys wool from Santiago.
The Monk - A welcoming Coptic monk living in a monastery near the pyramids of Egypt.
Merchant - A merchant who buys wool from Santiago on a yearly basis. He worries about being cheated so he demands that any wool he buys be sheared from the sheep in his presence.
Santiago's father - A kindly, unadventurous family man who hoped Santiago would become a priest but gives him his blessing to become a shepherd.
Young Man - A scam artist living in Tangier who speaks Arabic and Spanish.
Candy Seller - A generous vendor in the Tangier marketplace who enjoys his occupation.
Barkeep - A well-meaning bartender who lives in Tangier and speaks only Arabic.
Caravan Leader - The bold leader of a caravan traveling across the Sahara Desert from Tangier to Egypt.
BOOK REVIEW
Santiago is a shepherd in the rolling hills of Andalucia. He loves his flock, but can't help but notice the limited nature of their existence. Seeking only food and water, they never lift their heads to admire the green hills or the sunsets. Santiago's parents have continually struggled for the basics of life, and have smothered their own ambitions accordingly. They live in beautiful Andalucia, which attracts tourists to its quaint villages and rolling hills, but for them it is no place of dreams.Santiago, on the other hand, can read and wants to travel. He goes into town one day to sell some of his flock, and encounters a tramp-king and a Gypsy woman. They urge him to 'follow his omens' and leave the world he knows. The Gypsy points him towards the Pyramids of Egypt, where she says he will find treasure. Crazily, he believes her. He sells his flock and sets sail. Sure enough, disaster is met early on when a thief in Tangier robs him of his savings. So much hard work and discipline for a little adventure! But strangely, Santiago is not devastated, apprehending a greater feeling - the security of knowing he is on the right path. He is now living a different life, in which every day is new and satisfying. He keeps reminding himself of what he was told in the market before he left: 'When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.'
So begins this fable which has delighted millions around the world.The idea of following your dream is a marvellous one, a support for anyone embarking on a major project. But is it a hope based on nothing? If you think about the energy you put into something once you are committed to it, probably not. The 'universe conspiring' to give you what you want is, more precisely, a reflection of your determination to make something happen. In reading The Alchemist, we are reminded of Goethe's demand: 'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it - boldness has genius, power and magic in it.'
The book does not get away from the fact that dreams have a price, but as Coelho has noted in interviews, not living your dreams also has a price. For the same money, he said, you can either buy a horrible jacket that doesn't fit, or one that suits you and looks right. There will be difficulties in whatever you do in life, but it is better to have problems that make sense because they are part of what you are trying to achieve. Otherwise, difficulties just seem insidious, one terrible setback after another. The dream-follower has a greater responsibility, that of handling their own freedom. That may not seem like such a price, but it does require a level of awareness we are maybe not used to.
The old man that Santiago meets in the town square tells him not to believe 'the biggest lie', that you can't control your destiny. You can, he says, but you must 'read the omens', which becomes possible when you start to see the world as one. The world can be read like a book, but we will never be able to understand it if we have a closed type of existence, complacent with our lot and unwilling to risk anything. Destiny requires the oxygen of higher awareness.
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