Please have your daybooks ready to
take notes.
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This section of Part Two shows how the example and
experiences of others can lead you to the right path.
The crystal merchant has put his dream on hold out of
fear that it won’t live up to his expectations. Without
knowing it, he has shown Santiago that regrets for
unfulfilled dreams can reduce the quality of one’s life.
Santiago will watch this man over the next year and he
will come to the realization that he cannot give up.
The boy’s ingenuity about the crystal merchant’s
business impacts favorably not only on the profits of
the store, but also on Santiago’s self-esteem. This will
help him make the right decision to continue searching
for his treasure.
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Point of view changes to the Englishman
Shift in POV
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FYI- In the Bible, Urim and Thummim are the
only divination permitted by God for usage.
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Here the omens show Santiago that he can
accomplish much with just his wits and
ingenuity. The crystal merchant is afraid of
change, but Santiago is not, and that is the
difference when one seeks his own Personal
Legend. The phrase “Maktub” implies the idea
of fate, but in reality it is a sign of what path
God has intended for each and every one of us.
His is the hand that writes everything.
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This section prepares the reader for what the
merchant already knows: Santiago will not be
able to give up his dream and will continue his
journey.
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The two stones falling out of Santiago’s pack
are omens of the future and so foreshadow his
decision to carry on. He knows he is supported
and protected by the universe, and because he
is not afraid of change, he can face
the uncertainty of a new world in Africa.
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When the crystal merchant tells Santiago that
he is never going to Mecca and the boy is never
going to buy more sheep, it prepares us for
Santiago’s decision to move on with his
journey.
Just as Santiago packs up to head back to
Spain, the two stones, Urim and Thummim fall
out of his knapsack. This foreshadows that he
must go to Egypt and find the pyramids.
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“If I can learn to understand this language
without words, I can learn to understand the
world.” (page 44)
Santiago makes this observation after he helps
some Arabs erect their stalls and yet neither
can understand the language of the other.
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“That’s the principle that governs all things. In
alchemy, it’s called the Soul of the World.”
(page 78)
The Englishman explains this Santiago after he
listens to the boy’s story about working in the
crystal shop.
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“Because I don’t live in either my past or my
future. I’m interested only in the present.” (85).
– Camel Driver to Santiago
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Andalusia
Al-Fayoum (oasis in Egypt)
Tarifa
El Cairum (p.76)
Salem (Jeru”salem”)
Nile
Tangier (p. 44)
Coptic Monastery
Ceuta (p. 44)
Moors (p.27)
Mecca (p. 54)
Sahara Desert (36)
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Narcissus (Prologue)
Esperanto (p.66) - an artificial language based as far as possible on words common to all
the European languages
King Melchizedek (Genesis14, “King Most High”)
Helvetius, Elias, Fulcanelli, Geber (p.82)- famous scientists
Koran (p. 54)
Scarab (p.161)- A scarabaeid beetle, especially Scarabaeus sacer, regarded as sacred by the
ancient Egyptians.
Muslim
Simum - p.148- rhino
Mecca
Coptic (153,154)- Refers to Egyptian Christians and their language.
Allah (p. 71, 97)
Tiberius (p.158)- son-in-law of Augustus who became a suspicious tyrannical Emperor of
Rome after a brilliant military career (42 BC to AD 37)
Levanter (p.27)
hookah (p. 114)
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scabbard - sword
Treasonous
conspire
elixir
scimitar – curved sword
contemplate
brandish
dialect
flourish
prognostication – forecast/omen
sirocco – southeast wind that blows through Italy
Centurion- A rank in the Roman army. As the name implies, a centurion
had 100 men in his command
scarab
- Egyptian beetle held in high reverence
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Master Work
Personal Legend
Soul of the World
Unspoken Language
Emerald Tablet, Elixir of Life, Alchemy,
Philosopher’s Stone (not just “terms” and
“things”, but symbolic concepts)
Oasis (not just “term” and “place”, but
symbolic concept)
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Characterization
Allusion
Symbol
Allegory
Metaphor/Simile
Foreshadowing
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The archetype of the alchemist is similar to that of
the magician, wizard or even scientist. As with any
archetype the alchemist depicts processes or forces
within you, and with the alchemist it is about
transformation. A negative aspect of this is the
sense of superiority that possesses some people,
leading them to a conviction they are in control of
the forces of nature and can manifest magical
powers or perform miracles at will. Sometimes, to
achieve a result, the person operating under this
archetype will use trickery, lies and threats or
pressure, as with those who subtly pressurise
others to do their bidding.
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Archetypes are used as the ideal representation
of a character, event, situation, or symbol
It helps us all to relate to what is occurring in
the story.
When we see Star Wars, we recognize the
archetype of “good vs. evil” or “the hero” or
“the wise man”.
Alchemy: [al-kuh-mee] -noun, plural -mies for 2.
1. a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy
practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and
concerned principally with discovering methods for
transmuting baser metals into gold and with finding a
universal solvent and an elixir of life.
2. any magical power or process of transmuting a
common substance, usually of little value, into a
substance of great value.

Paulo Coelho has led an extremely interesting
life. Rebelliousness defined his youth. He was a
hippie. He wrote popular lyrics for some of
Brazil's most famous pop music stars, including
Elis Regina and Raul Seixas. Shortly after, he
worked as a journalist.

In 1986 Paulo Coelho walked the Road to Santiago,
a medieval pilgrim's route between France and
Spain. He later described this experience in ‘The
Pilgrimage’, published in 1987. The following
year, his second book ‘The Alchemist’ established
his worldwide fame.
Paulo Coelho on the Road to Santiago
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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.
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Fate versus Will
Fate is constantly intertwined with
will, and 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."
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Love
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. Santiago tells the desert that it shows
love for the alchemist's falcon by offering it
game, after which the falcon shows love to man
as it offers the game to eat, and the man shows
love for the desert as after one dies, his body
is reintegrated into the desert sands. There is
also love in people, demonstrated by Santiago's
love of Fatima's beauty, and Santiago's knowing
that it is part of his Personal Legend to love
her. Also, there is true love, a brief
definition given by the alchemist; "True love
is love that allows you to reach your Personal
Legend."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Omens
Omen: [oh-muhn] -noun
1. anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good
or evil event or circumstance in the future; portent.
2. a prognostic.
3. prophetic significance; presage: a bird of ill omen.
–verb (used with object)
4. to be an omen of; portend.
5. to divine, as if from omens.
Being able to observe and read omens is a key motif throughout the
book. Santiago recognizes the hole in his pouch through which Urim
and Thummin fell in Tangier as an omen, as he had promised the old
king that he would make his own decisions, not let the stones do it
for him. 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. Santiago
later finds that going to the desert was a good omen, as he was
able to meet Fatima, his love. Santiago reads omens in the flight
of two hawks and has a premonition of an attack on the oasis as he
is in the Sahara Desert. Omens play a key role in the unraveling of
Santiago's fate.
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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. The boy's Personal Legend is obvious,
to find his treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. The
alchemist fulfilled his Personal Legend, to become a true
alchemist and accomplish the Master Work. The crystal
merchant's Personal Legend is to visit Mecca, and 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, just as the
alchemist’s was to become the most famed alchemist in the
world. Others, like the Tarifa baker and the crystal
merchant, choose to ignore the Personal Legend, and thus
shape their life to be forever wanting.
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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.
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In the Tanakh, 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, 14641467
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Tithe: [tahyth]
noun, verb, tithed, tith·ing.
-noun
1. Sometimes, tithes. 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.
2. any tax, levy, or the like, esp. of one-tenth.
3. a tenth part or any indefinitely small part of anything.
-verb (used with object)
4. to give or pay a tithe or tenth of (produce, money, etc.).
5. to give or pay tithes on (crops, income, etc.).
6. to exact a tithe from (a person, community, parish, etc.).
7. to levy a tithe on (crops, income, etc.).
-verb (used without object)
8. to give or pay a tithe.
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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.
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The Melchizedek priesthood is a prominent feature of "Mormonism" - that is, The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of as "a priest forever in the order of
Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), and so Jesus plays the role of High Priest once and for all.
Jesus is considered a priest in the order of Melchizedek because, like Melchizedek, Jesus
was not a Levite, and thus would not qualify for the Levitical priesthood (Heb. 7:13-17).
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The Book of Mormon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints describes the
work of Melchizedek in Salem in Alma 13:17-18. According to Alma, Melchizedek was
King over the wicked people of Salem, but because of his righteousness, his people
repented of their wickedness and became a peaceful city.
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A collection of early Gnostic scripts found in 1945, known as the Nag Hammadi Library,
contains a tractate pertaining to Melchizedek. Here it is revealed that Melchizedek is Jesus
Christ[8]. Melchizedek, as Jesus Christ, lives, preaches, dies and is resurrected.
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Although manuscripts of New Testament books are the
most plentiful of early Christian texts known to us,
other writings have survived as well. One important
group of such writings were produced in the context of
an early Christian movement known as Gnosticism.
Long rejected by the mainstream church as heretical,
many of the Gnostic writings were likely regarded as
sacred texts by those who compiled them - in fact as
more sacred than the canonical texts of the New
Testament. In addition, they provide further context to
the canonical writings of the New Testament and offer
different perspectives on the lives and teachings of
Jesus and the apostles.
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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 in Galicia in northwestern
Spain, where legend has it that the remains of the apostle, Saint James the Great, are
buried.
A major Christian pilgrimage route:
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the ultimate goal of the pilgrimage.The Way of St
James has existed for over a thousand years. It was one of the most important Christian
pilgrimages during medieval times. It was considered one of three pilgrimages on which a
plenary indulgence could be earned; the others are the Via Francigena to Rome and the
pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Legend holds that St. James's remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain
where they were buried on the site of what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. There
are some, however, who claim that the bodily remains at Santiago belong to Priscillian, the
fourth-century Galician leader of an ascetic Christian sect, Priscillianism, who was one of
the first Christian heretics to be executed.
There is not a single route; the Way can take one of any number of pilgrimage routes to Santiago
de Compostela. However a few of the routes are considered main ones. Santiago is such an
important pilgrimage destination because it is considered the burial site of the apostle,
James the Great. During the middle ages, the route was highly travelled. However, the Black
Plague, the Protestant Reformation and political unrest in 16th- century Europe resulted in
its decline. Until the 1980s, only a few pilgrims arrived in Santiago annually. However,
since then, the route has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from around the
globe. The route was declared the first European Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in
October 1987; it was also named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1993.
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Paulo Coelho made the journey and wrote about it. The Pilgrimage (Diário de Um
Mago, in Portuguese) is a 1987 novel by Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho. It is a
recollection of Paulo's experiences as he made his way across Northern Spain on
the Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela in 1986.
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The Philosopher’s Stone
The philosopher's stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum;
Greek: chrysopoeia) 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.
In the view of spiritual alchemy, making the
philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon
the maker and conclude the Great Work.
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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.
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Alchemy
Theme
Omniscient
Motif
Omen
Allusion
Tithe
Dross
Paulo Coelho
The VR Romanesque Cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela
The Alchemist in Search of the Philosophers Stone, by Joseph Wright. 1771.
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http://paulocoelhofanclub.com/eng/pc_bio.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_(book)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melchizedek
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe
http://dictionary.reference.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrimage
http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/santiago/iagohome.html
http://www.paulocoelho.com/engl/
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/wright/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher's_stone
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Students will write about whether or not they
believe in fate.
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Do they think that there is something in life that they
are meant to do? What are their dreams for
themselves? Are their families and friends
supportive of them following their dreams? Do they
feel that they have the power to achieve their
dreams?
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http://www.theherald.co.uk/paulocoelho/Int
roduction