Alchemist Analysis

During his journey, Santiago faces the obstacle of overcoming his fear of defeat. This challenge of his fear of defeat is what is significant to Santiago’s growth. As Santiago arrives in Morocco, he was robbed by a stranger and left with nothing in a strange place. Yet, over time Santiago found a job with a Crystal merchant and, “…he had been working incessantly, thinking only

14) Earlier in the story, the alchemist told Santiago "when you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed." At the end of the story, how does this simple lesson change Santiago’s life? How does it lead him back to the treasure he was looking for?

Along the way to the Pyramid, Santiago meets Fatima and instantly falls in love with her. He spends days with her and confesses his love by saying “ I want you to be my wife” (95). Entranced by Fatima’s beauty, Santiago conveys his willingness to adjust his plan and settle with his love in a small oasis in the Sahara. He says “I want to stay at the oasis… I’ve found Fatima, and, as far as I’m concerned, she’s worth more than treasure” (118). Despite Santiago’s unconditional love and its ability to change his mindset, Coelho implies that love acts as a distraction that interferes one’s journey and that one must sacrifice such fascinations to become entirely fulfilled in the future. For instance, the alchemist suggests Santiago that he “must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love” (120). Moreover, Santiago learns to accept the idea that the omens will help him reunite with Fatima after he finds the treasure if she is “a part of his dream” (97). Accordingly, Santiago sacrifices his time his love in order to stay on the path for his Personal

He was having the same dream for a few weeks, and he knew that the dream had some type of meaning. He dreamt of finding his treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. Santiago knew that he needed to find his treasure, but he also knew that he would have to leave a lot of things behind if he went on this journey. Santiago finally made the decision to go on this mission. During his journey, Santiago learned a lot more about what was affecting his life and the things he needed to do in order to find his treasure.

Santiago the poor adventurer boy, seeks the treasure in his dreams. Despite having a family that wanted him to become a priest. But as Santiago made way towards his journey, he was faced with the unlucky fate of being robbed of all he had. While he had nothing, he could only go up. He learned to find omens which that will lead him towards a better future. As a result he managed to land a job within a crystal merchant’s shop. Another instance is when Santiago is confronted by the love of his life. He wanted to stay with her forever, however doing so would force him to abandon his journey. Fatima,

Fatima is the girl that almost distracts Santiago from his dream of reaching the pyramids and his treasure. She’s so pretty, and he’s so in love with her that he almost decides to just stay at the oasis and take her instead of his treasure. This is a challenge that Santiago has to persevere through to get to his treasure. Santiago said “So, i love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” He also said that “It was difficult to not think about what he had left behind.

He wanted to save enough money to return to Spain and buy back his flock. His dream of finding and fulfilling his “Personal Legend” long forgotten as some silly dream. But as he was packing up his things to go back to Spain, he finds Urim and Thummim, two stones the wise king gave Santiago to help him read the omens. And all the sudden, minute by minute, his dream of going home to buy a new flock and become a shepherd again is became less and less important. And then Santiago remembers that it isn't his dream. “I can always go back to being a shepherd, the boy thought. I learned how to care for sheep, and I haven't forgotten how to do so. But maybe I’ll never have another chance to get to the Pyramids in Egypt.” And with that, Santiago sets off to find his treasure. He doesn't go back to where he started, he didn't go home and relax in the “normal” like others, he chose to adventure and discover his “Personal Legend”, and his treasure. He was determined to prove to everyone, and himself, that it really was

Santiago talked to a Gypsy women (who interpreted dreams) about his reoccurring dream that he would find hidden treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. Later in the city, he talked to Melchizedek (King of Salem) about Personal Legends. The boy did not know the meaning of a Personal Legend, Melchizedek said “It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young knows what their Personal Legend is.” (Coelho 23) Now that Santiago knew what a Personal Legend was he could discover his.

At the beginning of the novel, Santiago is launched on a quest for his “treasure” through his encounter with an old man named Melchizedek. In the story he says, “that he only appears at critical moments when a person might be giving up on pursuing their Personal Legend.” Melchizedek tells Santiago that all people know what their Personal Legend is when they’re young, but the more they age, the more they forget because they are blinded and blocked by fear and anxiety. Another person who helps Santiago in realizing the theme is The Englishman, whom is a British man who has come to North Africa in search of the alchemist. He has studied the art of alchemy from books, but he wishes to complete the Master Work because he feels that he’ll be able to learn these things from the alchemist.

On its surface, The Alchemist seems like a simple story, but it actually explores the deeper subject of finding one’s destiny. The author, Paulo Coelho, does this through the use of basic plot detail that includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The story’s exposition starts with the introduction of a teen-age Andalusian shepherd named Santiago, who has had a recurring dream about a little girl helping him find a treasure in Egypt. He wants to understand this dream, so he decides to visit a gypsy fortune teller (Page 13). The woman tells him to follow through with what his dream seems to be telling him to do: “And this is my interpretation: you must go to the

Santiago’s entire life revolves around his recurrent dream and his journey to find his hidden treasure. The crystal merchant, on the other hand, is the opposite of Santiago. Coelho portrays him as a good man who gave Santiago food and shelter just when the boy needed it the most. It’s ironic that the man who rescued Santiago would be the one least likely to help him. The crystal merchant symbolizes the result of a Personal Legend not followed. The crystal merchant wants to go to Mecca, but he couldn’t accept the change. He insists“...if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living” (Coelho 48). The crystal merchant gave into one of the major obstructions in following a Personal Legend – fear. The alchemist and the army general later in the story both look down on those who show fear. Santiago enjoyed doing business with the crystal merchant and they each

The excerpt, represents the unstrung feeling one goes through, while on the path to success. Evidently, showcased in each character’s actions and emotions. Similarly to Nancy Bo Flood; Coelho, inventively used “The Alchemist” as a source to express his deepest thoughts, and feelings. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” Through Santiago, he shows a depiction of how humans act when they are discouraged from calamity, along as showcasing a stand still within a human’s spiritual journey.

Young boy Santiago is a shepherd because he knows what he wants. In “The Alchemist” Santiago changes in many ways and learns many things from the start to the end of the book. Santiago is going to a village as a shepherd and in the meantime, he is staying in an abandoned church. When he is sleeping he keeps having a reoccurring dream, so he explains it to a gypsy woman. The woman says that he will find a treasure in the pyramids in Egypt. Later, he meets an old man that tells him that to he has to listen to omens to find his treasure. He also gives Santiago stones that will tell him what to do. Santiago sells his sheep to find his hidden treasure, however, when he is going he gets robbed, and he has to work at a glass shop to get money again. When he gets enough money to cross the desert and go to the pyramids, he meets a caravan about to cross the desert. On their way to the other side of the desert, they figure out that war is going on in the middle of the desert, so they have to stop for a long time until the war is over. Since Santiago

Santiago finds his treasure at the place where he first dreamt of. The ending, then, can be interpreted as Santiago needs to go in a difficult situation and time to gain the knowledge or wisdom.

“I also have Fatima. She is a treasure greater than anything else I have won. She wasn’t found at the pyramids, either.” (Coelho 119) An important lesson that Santiago learns on his journey is that things that occur en route to the end destination can’t be ignored, as they can end up being more important than the destination. Had Santiago just rushed through his journey, and only focused on getting to the pyramids, he would have missed a great treasure. Santiago was patient with his journey, and he remained in the oasis for a substantial amount of time, rather than rushing through. In staying at the oasis, he meets Fatima, the love of his life. In the end, Fatima