The Alchemist is a novel written by the popular Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. It is one of his best-selling books. The story is inspirational and wonderful. Paulo Coelho writes about the journey of a boy from Spain to Egypt who is searching for his destiny. The novel also touches on mystery, spirit, and nature.
The boy’s name is Santiago, and he lives in Spain. He loves reading books and traveling around the world. From a young age, he was curious about travel. Once, his father told him that only shepherds can travel the world. That’s why Santiago became a shepherd. He thought his parents were like his sheep, whose purpose was just to eat and drink, but he wanted to do more than his parents.
When he became a young man, he started traveling with his flock of sheep. One day, he arrived at an old, ruined church with a big Sycamore tree beside it. It was getting dark, so he decided to sleep under the tree. That night, he dreamed a dream he had had twice before.
At sunrise, he woke up and began his journey. On the way, he reached Tarifa, where he visited a Gypsy woman to interpret his dream. He told her that his dream was about a treasure at the pyramids in Egypt. She told him he should go to Egypt to find his treasure.
On the way, Santiago met the old king of Salem. Though a stranger, the king inspired Santiago to follow his destiny. He taught Santiago about omens and gave him two magical stones, saying they might help him. Santiago continued his journey.
He sold his sheep and went to Africa. But in this strange place, a thief stole all his money. Santiago then worked at a crystal shop for a year to earn enough to continue his journey. Later, he met Fatima, and they fell in love. Santiago thought Fatima was more valuable than his treasure, but she encouraged him to follow his destiny.
He also met an Englishman searching for the Alchemist but was unable to find him. Luckily, Santiago met the Alchemist, who had a philosopher’s stone that could turn metal into gold and an Elixir of Life to cure all illness. The Alchemist helped Santiago continue his journey to the pyramids.
Santiago followed the omens the king had told him about. He faced many challenges in the desert, including a war between tribes. He learned the “language of the world” and could communicate with the desert, wind, and sun, who helped him. Santiago realized that the soul of God was also his own soul during his journey.
Finally, he reached the pyramids of Egypt. The beautiful sight amazed him. He started digging in front of the pyramids, looking for the treasure. Though he found no signs at first, he kept digging. Suddenly, some men came and beat him badly. They stole his gold and told him the treasure was actually in Spain.
Santiago realized the treasure was where he had dreamed it all along — back in Spain. This made him very happy because he was finally close to his treasure.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It teaches many important lessons for a happy and successful life. My favourite quotes are as follows:-
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve; the fear of failure.
Your eyes show the strength of your soul.
When you want something all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it
It’s this; that a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.
