My personal legend is just me completing college. This may not sound like much but it relates to the four obstacles that Santiago himself face. The first one would be Pessimism I never got told that I wasn’t going to be able to go to college by anyone else it’s just me doubting myself. Not many people from my family even went to college the only one was my brother and I’m next in line so it’s a lot of pressure on me. I always think to myself am I ready for college? Or am I smart enough to handle it. But attending Serra High school gave me a better push and boost up my confidence. The second one of course would be Love, Santiago gave up love to pursue his personal legend. And it’s not easy finding love or just receiving love. I can tell I’m …show more content…
The Crystal Merchant plays a very important role in Santiago’s journey and also the time spent in Tangier. The Crystal Merchant owns a shop and he doesn’t really believe in “Personal Legends” because he believes after he achieves his dream that he will have nothing else to live for. The Crystal Merchant opens Santiago’s eyes into seeing the result of not fulfilling your dreams.
Melchizedek is the King of Salem who lives in Tarifa. He is the one that teaches Santiago about Personal Legends, Soul of the World, and Beginner’s Luck. Melchizedek is the one who pushes Santiago to pursue his Personal Legend. He gives Santiago two magical stones Thummim and Urim which represents no and yes. These stones are specifically to help guide Santiago on his journey. Even though he is not physically present with Santiago on his journey the stones are also to remind Santiago to stay hopeful and
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The alchemist provides him with the supernatural abilities and allows Santiago on his own journey to understand the Soul of the World.
At the end of the book Santiago didn’t exactly find treasure when reaching his destination. The true treasure was finding himself during the journey which could only happen in making the decision to go on the journey. The true treasure was the love in his heart and to find the treasure. Santiago was so determined to complete a task and he followed his heart and he did just that. The true treasure was finding himself.
Mathew 4:18-22 The bible verse tells us about four brothers who were going fishing and Jesus told them to come with him to fish for people the brothers drops all their belongings and went accordingly. Basically I feel that this relates to Santiago and his journey because Jesus had a better plan for the four brothers and I feel that the alchemist represents Jesus in leading Santiago into a better path and fulfilling his personal legend. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2461 says “True development concerns the whole man. It is concerned with increasing each persons ability to respond to his vocation and hence to God’s call. This relates to Santiago because Santiago felt that his vocation was to fulfill his personal legend. Santiago developed as a man when he did just
The crystal merchant had few customers, but once the crystal was cleaned, a larger crowd was attracted to his storefront. Santiago would receive a much needed meal, as well as a job offer. Freshly cleaned crystal attracted many customers, which caused the crystal merchant to offer Santiago a full-time position, with pay. Like an alchemist, Santiago went from being in poverty, to being successful. Santiago also turned a negative into a positive for the crystal merchant. The crystal merchant’s shop did not appear inviting to potential customers, but Santiago rectified it, which in turn, caused the shop to receive more customers and generate a greater profit. Santiago is a metaphorical alchemist. He turns the worst into the best, just as an alchemist turns base metals into gold.
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
To begin his long journey, Santiago meets a wise old king name King Melchizedek. He is in a local market when the king walks up and asks Santiago what he is reading. The king continues to say that the book he is reading is important but irritating because it describes the characters inability to choose their own Personal Legend. When Santiago asks where this mysterious stranger is from, King Melchizedek replies with “I am from many places, but I was born in Salem as I am the king there” (Coelho 64). Accepting his statement as true, Santiago continues the conversation allowing them to eventually talk about his dream of the Pyramids. The king wants to help Santiago, but for a price of six sheep. Before leaving with Santiago’s sheep he shares, “’The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon’” (Coelho 32). His message to Santiago reminds him that by following his dream he will witness beautiful sights and people, but that he should always remember the purpose of his travels. Leaving it at that, the king pointed Santiago in the direction to follow his dream.
In the novel the king of Salem tells Santiago that he is blessed to aid him in finding the treasure, and if he didn’t aid him ever he would feel guilty.
“Becuase it’s the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That’s what helps me face these days that are all the same, these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner at the same horrible cafe. I’m afraid if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living. (p. 57)” The crystal merchant states to Santiago telling him that he’s dreamt and romanticized it so much it could never possibly live up to his expectations, yet he continues to dream and hope for the best.
Santiago learns a lot from the Crystal Merchant about how he was always scared and way too comfortable to chase his own dreams. In a way, it’s demonstrating to Santiago that he should not end up like him, like to say hey look at me and look at what I’m doing with my life because I didn’t do anything with my life. The merchant talks about his past with regret, saying, “I don’t want to change anything because I don’t know how to deal with change”. The merchant’s words demonstrate the after effects of having fear and feeling like you're going to face danger if you go after your dreams instead of chasing your dreams and not being afraid of change as well as growth. Through the merchant’s experiences, Santiago learns the importance of confronting your own fears, overcoming your own regrets, and being able to go after your own dreams no matter the challenges that may come
When all Santiago wanted to do was to give up on his dream, he stayed faithful and persistent, so that one day he would reach the treasure at the pyramids. Santiago was also determined to do anything that he had to do in order to find his treasure at the pyramids. Santiago worked for a crystal shop merchant at one point in the story so that he could earn enough money to travel to Egypt and to buy sheep. Santiago told the crystal merchant that he could work all day and night, until morning, as long as he got money to go to Egypt. The crystal merchant laughed and said, “Even if you cleaned my crystal for an entire year…even if you earned a good commission selling every piece, you would still have to borrow money to get to Egypt.
Melchizedek persuades Santiago to start the journey and sell his flock of sheep to get money in order to get
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
When Santiago arrives in Tangier he is robbed by a thief and is forced to find work from the locals. He meets a crystal merchant and gets hired to work for him. Santiago convinces the merchant to take some risks in his business. This advice pays off and Santiago becomes a rich man in just a year. Santiago stars to gain confidence in his decisions and decides to use his earning to pursue his personal legend. Santiago soon joins a caravan crossing the Sahara desert and meets an Englishman who is studying to become an Alchemist. On the trip Santiago and the Englishman don’t converse much but Santiago still ends up learning a lot
Soon after, Santiago is forced to work for a crystal merchant in the hopes of replacing his lost money and continuing on his quest. He works for the merchant for eleven months and during this time, continues to think less and less of his Personal Legend. He becomes skilled in this practice and begins to work towards instead, replacing his flock of sheep and returning to his past lifestyle. During this time, Santiago perceived reaching the pyramids as an impossible feat claiming “Egypt was now just a distant dream for him” and that, like a mirage, it would always be just out of his reach (56). In this way, Coelho shows that Santiago’s morale is lessening. The more that he stays at the crystal shop, the more he sees his treasure as a mirage instead of a physical object.
Crystal merchant: Owns a crystal shop in the city of Tangier. He has lived there thirty good years in selling and buying crystal pieces. It is this shop, where Santiago works before continuing his journey.
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?
I think Paulo passed on his message about following your heart quite well. Through Santiago he showed that you must endure some hardship before you are rewarded for your efforts. I think I will always remember Santiago’s journey and the lessons he learned along the way.
As Santiago continues to find his Personal Legend, and travel he begins to feel lost without his sheep. Santiago spent his entire life with his sheep, and never had a real home. However, when traveling without his sheep for the first time, it becomes clear that Santiago’s sheep symbolize his home: “When I had my sheep, I was happy, and I made those around me happy” (42). Homes represent a place for comfort and happiness. Santiago spent all his time with his sheep, and never had a single place he called home. Since homes provide a place of happiness and comfort, and so Santiago’s sheep do the same, the sheep symbolize Santiago’s home. Santiago longing his sheep or being in a familiar place explains how his mind is not entirely focused on completing his Personal Legend. Santiago needs to let go of the strings that hold him back from his goals if he wants to continue. As Santiago works with the crystal merchant, these ties to home begin to sever. When Santiago leaves the merchant, he does not say goodbye. Santiago learns to move on without looking back for his own benefit, and strengthens his grasp on the idea