
Theme: /theem/ -noun
1. a subject of discourse,
discussion, meditation, or
composition; topic: The need for
world peace was the theme of the
meeting.
2. a unifying or dominant idea,
motif, etc., as in a work of art.
Fate is constantly intertwined
with will. A key theme of the
book focuses on how much in life
is under one's control, and how
much is controlled by fate.
 The old king states that the
world's greatest lie is that "at
some point during our lives, we
lose control of what's happening
to us, and our lives become
controlled by fate."


Love is described as a part of the
Soul of the World.

Love occurs in life and Nature. As
everything supports each other,
they love each other.

Many examples of Love occur in the
later parts of the book which we
will discuss then (I don’t want to
ruin it for you!)

Controlled Luck
The theme of controlled luck is prominent in this
book, as the old king and the alchemist both
tell Santiago about how if one really wants to
fulfill his or her Personal Legend, the whole
universe will conspire to help make it happen.
Coelho refers to this as the idea of
"beginner's luck", or the concept of
favorability. Santiago is blessed with
beginner's luck, when he decides to go to
Africa. He manages to sell all of his sheep
very easily, and is given "a taste of success"
that whets the appetite to fulfill one's
Personal Legend.

Spiritual Enlightenment
In The Alchemist, a kind of spiritual
enlightenment is accomplished by fulfilling
one's Personal Legend, and adding to the Soul
of the World, which is the "light" of most
religions. The spiritual influence of this book
is omniscient, for example in Santiago's
"turning himself into the wind" stunt. He
learns the Language of the World, which is
basically the language of the Soul of the
World. As the Soul of the World is related to
the Soul of God, Santiago is able to perform
miracles after he has reached into the Soul of
the World.

Omniscient: [om-nish-uhnt] adjective
1. having complete or unlimited knowledge,
awareness, or understanding; perceiving all
things. –noun
2. an omniscient being.
3. the Omniscient, God.

Motif: [moh-teef] -noun
1. a recurring subject, theme, idea,
etc., esp. in a literary, artistic,
or musical work.
2. a distinctive and recurring form,
shape, figure, etc., in a design, as
in a painting or on wallpaper.
3. a dominant idea or feature: the
profit motif of free enterprise.

Omen: [oh-muhn] -noun
1.anything perceived or happening that is
believed to foresee a good or evil event or
circumstance in the future.

Being able to observe and read omens is a key
motif throughout the book.

The Old King sees a butterfly and recognizes
it as a good omen for Santiago’s journey.

The crystal merchant of Tangier recognizes
Santiago's presence in the shop as an omen,
as two customers came into the shop as he was
cleaning the crystals for the merchant.

Personal Legend
The Personal Legend is a being's
reason to live. Everything in the
world has a Personal Legend, and by
reaching one's Personal Legend, one
adds to the Soul of the World, the
purity of the world.

Santiago’s “PL” is obvious, to find
his treasure at the Egyptian pyramids.

The Tarifa baker's Personal Legend is
to travel the world.

The Personal Legend of a person
surfaces at childhood, and one
can never find true happiness
without fulfilling it.

The Personal Legend of Santiago
drives him to his treasure as he
chooses to accomplish his
Personal Legend

Others, like the Tarifa baker
choose to ignore the Personal
Legend, and thus shape their life
to be forever wanting.

Allusion: [uh-loo-zhuhn] -noun
1. a passing or casual reference; an
incidental
mention of something,
either directly or by implication:
an allusion to Shakespeare.
2. the act of alluding.
3. Obsolete. a metaphor; parable.
Statue of
Melchizedek.
Santa Maria
Maggiore,
Rome.

In the Tanakh (part of the Hebrew
bible), Melchizedek brought bread
and wine to Abraham after Abraham's
victory over the four kings (led by
Chedorlaomer) who had besieged
Sodom and Gomorrah and had taken
Abraham's nephew, Lot, prisoner.
Melchizedek is also described as
blessing Abraham in the name of El
Elyon (God), and in return for
these favors, Abraham gave
Melchizedek a tithe, from the
spoils gained in the battle.
Meeting of
Abraham and
Melchizedek
by Dieric
Bouts the
Elder,
1464-1467
 Tithe:
[tahyth] noun, verb,
tithed, tith·ing.
-noun
1. The tenth part of agricultural
produce or personal income set
apart as an offering to God or
for works of mercy, or the
same amount regarded as an
obligation or tax for the
support of the church,
priesthood, or the like.

In The Alchemist, Santiago must
twice pay one-tenth of his
possessions. In the first
instance, he pays one-tenth of
his flock; in the second, he pays
one-tenth of his treasure. In the
Biblical reference, Abraham pays
Melchizedek one-tenth of his
battle winnings in exchange for
being blessed in the name of God.

Santiago
The Way of St. James or St. James'
Way, often known by its Spanish
name, el Camino de Santiago, is
the pilgrimage to the Cathedral
of Santiago de Compostela. A
major Christian pilgrimage route.

Paulo Coelho made the journey and
wrote about it in the book called
The Pilgrimage in 1987.

The Philosopher’s Stone
The philosopher's stone is a legendary
substance, supposedly capable of
turning inexpensive metals into gold;
it was also sometimes believed to be a
means of making people younger. For a
long time it was the "holy grail" of
Western alchemy.

The first book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry
Potter series is entitled, Harry Potter
and the Philosopher’s Stone. In the
United States, the title was changed to
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.