The Alchemist

Read from Sunday, February 5th to Monday, February 6th

The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho.  I was given this book the week before as a graduation gift from a week-long course in New York City at Momentum Education.  The themes in the book of personal journey, self discovery, and goal-seeking, correspond to many of the lessons taught in the course.

The Alchemist is a very popular book with very overt and simple themes.  I mean that in a good way.  It is a good story of Santiago, a young shepherd in Spain.  It is a timeless story, and seems to be able to exist in any era.  Santiago is a simple shepherd, but one day he has a dream of a treasure buried under the pyramids.  He dismisses it, but then he meets a king on the street who tells him that is his personal journey, and he must do everything he can to get there.  Santiago sells his flock, and sets off on a journey across the North of Africa.  At first, his money is stolen, but he works for a year in a glass shop, helping it to turn a profit.  Consequently he earns enough money to join a caravan across the Sahara.  There are dangerous tribal wars, but they manage to reach an oasis, where Santiago meets an Alchemist.  The alchemist teaches him how to realize his own personal legend, and this is more important than gold.  Santiago also falls in love with an oasis girl named Fatima, and he does not want to continue his journey.  But he realizes that if he does not fulfill his own legend, it might be easier at first, but he would end up being resentful and disappointed and disrespected. 

Santiago and the Alchemist continue onto the pyramids, but they are captured by an army.  They are sentenced to death, but the Alchemist convinces them to let them go if Santiago can harness the wind.  On the third day, Santiago is able to connect with his heart and the universal forces of the world.  He realizes how everything is connected, and causes a wind storm.  He is successful, and is able to return to Fatima.

It is a highly allegorical novel, with the themes pushed right into your face.  When you want something in life, the whole universe conspires to help you get it.  The key is to be persistent, recognize the omens, and be articulate about what it is that you want.  Along the way of your own personal legend, you are able to help out the personal legends of those around you.  Santiago was helped when he was given a job in a crystal shop, and he ended up helping the shopkeeper by developing new ideas and expanding the business. 

The Alchemist is a good fable that I recommend, even though it is probably more self-help than literature. I recommend it to anyone who feels they are stuck in a rut, or if their life isn't going anywhere.  You can all take charge of your life, make the decisions you need to make in order to fulfill your dreams, and the rest will work itself out.  Four out of five stars.