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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a story about a shepherd boy named
Santiago in Andalusia, experiencing a great change in his life. Santiago, a boy who
was born in a farming family, expected to be a priest, however chose to be a shepherd
in order to traveling around. The first part of the novel tells readers about Santiago’s
life before and after being a shepherd, including the daughter of the textile merchant
and the dream that he had for twice time but always ends up at the same period.
Unknown to Santiago, there are in fact many people are helping him to succeed
discover and fulfill his personal legend. At the last part of the novel, Santiago finally
met the alchemist and learned the language of the universe from him. As the novel
progresses, Santiago struggles with living a normal life or achieving his legend, and
ends up with find his true love and the treasure, because he always follows his heart
and believe in he himself even in this chaotic world.
Santiago was staying at an abandoned church with his sheep in the beginning
of the story, because of his annoying dream that always ends up with a misery; he
decided to go to the Gypsy woman who can read dreams and asked for the
explanation. The Gypsy woman told him that do as the kid in the dream ask him to do,
go to the pyramids and find the treasure, and give her ten percent of the treasure for
the payment. Santiago felt joyful that he didn’t need to pay anything for hid treasure
dream, so he then went to the market place for exchanging his book to a thicker one.
When he was reading the new book, an old man walk to him, wanted to start a
conversation. At first, Santiago thought this man was just a boring man who asked for
wine, but soon he realized that the old man is a king! The king asked for one tenth of
his sheep for the remuneration of what he’s going to say. On the second day, Santiago
decided to sell all of his sheep to a friend, except the one tenth of them, it’s for the
king. “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to
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forget the drops of oil in the spoon.” (p.32) The king told Santiago, reminding him
always not to forget that he’s a shepherd.
Although Santiago felt he was facing the worst thing ever and wanted to give
up pursuing his dream, got alone with the crystal merchant helped him think more
clearly about his next step. He got rob at the first day he arrived Africa, thought that
he himself could not survive in Africa because of the language, but soon he found out
that “ when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve
it.” (p.40) He started worked in the crystal shop and saved a sum of money, ready to
started his journey again. Whether keep on going finding the treasure or not, it’s still a
big problem that bothering him. Finally, on the day he left, he didn’t say goodbye to
the crystal merchant, and also, he was going to the pyramids.
Santiago met the alchemist in the oasis who led him to the pyramids and
taught him to listen to his heart and the language of the universe. He found his true
love – Fatima, in the oasis while hiding from the battle, also met the alchemist. The
alchemist taught Santiago his knowledge and he wanted Santiago to understand his
own heart. On the way to the pyramids, they were caught by one of the tribe, the only
way to save the alchemist’s and Santiago’s life is 3 days after, Santiago found the
method to turn himself in to wind. Santiago was sleepless and didn’t know what to do
at that time, by the time pass, figured out a way to persuade the troops is only thing he
could do, neither arguing with the alchemist nor blaming himself. There days after,
the chief brought his officials followed Santiago to cliff. Santiago started to talk to the
desert, the wind, the sun, and finally borrowed their power to made the chief
surrendered.
As we can see Santiago almost gave up everything he treasure on the way to
the pyramids. Santiago faced lot of fears from the beginning of the story: the fear of
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the gypsy woman reading his dream, the fear of losing his wealth to chase his dream,
the fear of dying in the battle, the fear of leaving Fatima, and the fear that he would
fail to turn himself into the wind. We can find in the actions that Santiago have taken
suggest that, fear, should become irrelevant, even in the face of death, if one faithfully
pursue ones dreams. The greatest symbol of the book – the alchemist, symbolize that
one must follow his own feelings and the omens provided by the Soul of the World.
The alchemist chose Santiago as his student because Santiago did not try to use books
to understand the world like the Englishman did. The alchemist told Santiago the
secrets of alchemy exist on the small Emerald Tablet, and the Emerald Tablet is a
direct passage to the Soul of the World, and it can’t be understood by reason alone.
Likewise, no written instructions can guide one to his or her personal legend.