The Alchemist By Santiago Conflict Analysis

In Santiago’s dreams, he sees that he must travel to the Pyramids of Giza in order to find the treasure that is hidden for him. After meeting with Melchizedek, he realizes that it is his “Personal Legend” to reach the Pyramids and decides to sacrifice everything that he had to accomplish it.

He arrived in the town, Tangier, where he got his money stolen and then worked for the Crystal Merchant. His experience when he first arrived to Africa made him not trust people when he first meets them and started his character development. By the end of the novel, Santiago did not find any treasure. One of the boys that was with him told him about how he had the same goals as Santiago and that he will learn that a man should not be so stupid. Santiago, “stood up shakily, and looked once more at the Pyramids.

Santiago is a shepherd in Andalucia. He loves his flock, but they can't 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. 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. But

When Santiago first meets the Englishman he explains to Santiago that he is looking for a very powerful alchemist. Santiago too is in search for something, treasure. As they travel together and talk more to each other they share their knowledge of the world, and the Language of said world. Both the Englishman and Santiago complete a little bit of their Personal Legends through this encounter, but their legends are much more akin than the two realize.

Santiago has a mental and emotional death when he says he wants to with Fatima at the oasis. He has basically given up on his dream. He is reborn after the alchemist tells him “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his personal legend.” (Pg.120). He feels that the alchemist is right and rides out into the with him. This gave Santiago a reason to survive and make it through his journey alive because he had to come back to

Santiago, the main protagonist, never gave up and continued to follow his dreams despite him going through many obstacles. The conflict arises as he’s trying to find treasure depicted to him through a dream while trying to overcome the brutality of the world and those trying to hold him back. The conflict enhances the story, as he did not give up and kept moving towards his goal with the help of friends that he meets throughout his journey in order to seek out his dreams.

He convinces himself to continue his quest across the Sahara Desert and joins a group traveling with the desert caravan. One of the travelers is an englishman who studies alchemy. Both the Englishman and Santiago are personally committed to pursuing their Personal Legends so they quickly become friends. The Englishman is on the caravan to Al-Fayoum because he wants to become a great alchemist. He will be studying with a successful and famous alchemist who has been rumored to be very old and have special powers, for example the ability to turn any metal into gold. Santiago is introduced to alchemy and receives much knowledge from the books that the Englishman reads. The Englishman is dedicated to becoming a well known alchemist and has devoted much time into

As you most likely know, the real ending to the book was that Santiago was finally in Egypt digging for treasure. Then, some men came along and started hurting Santiago. When the men were about to leave, one of them told Santiago something interesting. The man said that he had a dream about treasure being buried in Spain. He said it was near a church and a sycamore tree, which Santiago recognized from when he was a shepherd. Then, the man said he would never actually go to find that treasure. Santiago then knew where his treasure was. He ended up finding a chest with jewels and gold coins.

The idea of a personal legend controls the life of the main character Santiago by leading him to the pyramids in Egypt. A shepherd boy from Andalusia named Santiago set out to fulfill his personal legend by finding the treasure he has dreamed about in is sleep. After talking to a Gypsy dream interpreter, he meets and old king who explains the belief of a personal legend and the language of the universe. Using the obtaining information, he sets out on a journey across Africa to reach his treasure. Encountering a few setbacks, Santiago gets a job in a crystal shop. His ideas help the business become a success, gaining more and more customers each day. Following his personal legend, he has declared that he will return to his journey. He

Santiago explains his dream of being transported in front of the Egyptian pyramids and being told there would be treasure there. The Gypsy encourages him to follow the instructions and find the treasure, and as such, Santiago obeys whilst travelling towards the pyramids. After months of travelling and meeting different people, Santiago settles at an oasis in the desert. There he meets various peculiarly dressed woman. A friend of his that he met along the way asks the woman if they knew of the alchemist. After a decline, she advises “the boy that he had better not try to converse with women who were dressed in black, because they are married women. He should respect tradition.” Santiago adheres to the land’s traditions and ignores the women dressed in black. After this encounter, the women are seen as guides that give advice to help others. If she would not have done that, Santiago and his would have been in trouble for disrespecting the tradition of the local women. However, because of the advice he is able to maneuver and avoid any sort of

Santiago decides to buy a ticket for a boat to Tangier, North Africa. When he arrives there, a thief steals all of Santiago’s money. He then begins to work at a crystal merchant’s shop where he makes several decisions indicated by omens that improve business for the man’s shop. After Santiago had worked at the shop for 11 months he had made enough money to either travel to the pyramids, or go home to Andalusia as a rich man.

Santiago's dangerous undertaking is launched when he dreams of a boy telling him to go to the Great Pyramid in Egypt, igniting his lifelong love of travel. In the end, though, the pyramids contain only the gem of the experience he amplification along the route he takes to scope them. The home he left behind in Andalusia contains literal, not figurative treasure, which he

Santiago is constantly being reminded of the omens all around him. Every elder that he meets gives him a interesting experience that always teaches him something. Santiago and the crystal merchant represent the different paths a person may choose in life, with fear and complacency acting as the dividing factors between the courses they select. Whereas Santiago feels eager to pursue his Personal Legend and get to Egypt, the crystal merchant fears pursuing his own dream to make a pilgrimage to Mecca because he worries he will have nothing to live for afterward. He also feels comfortable with what he has and does not seek out more. Santiago has already faced several setbacks in his own quest, but they have all been due to outside forces, such

Santiago’s purpose was to validate his personal legend in finding treasure. The old woman wanted to know more about his dream. She then gave her interpretation: “[Santiago] must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. [She has] never heard of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to [him], they exist. There [he] will find a treasure that will make [him] a rich man.”(Coelho 14) So begins his journey that takes him away from home. A shepherd who wants to travel, he seeks treasure to support his life and livelihood. Along the way, he meets the alchemist who tells him that, “before a [Personal Legend] is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way.”(Coelho 132) The alchemist’s teaching guides Santiago as he continues his journey. With each continuing step, Santiago realizes that his true treasure is back where he started, at home. While his journey was truly epic, and he overcome many obstacles,

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.