THE ALCHEMIST

By Paulo Coelho

alchemy /ælkəmI / n. medieval chemistry, esp. seeking to turn base metals into gold.

alchemist n. [Arabic]1

INTRODUCTION

“The Alchemist” was first published in Brazil, in 1988. Initially it was not so well

received, the first edition selling only 9000 copies. After it was decided that the book

should not be reprinted, the author, Paulo Coelho, moved to a new publishing house which

decided to publish one of his more recent books, Brida. The attention that this book

received inspired interest in his earlier work, including The Alchemist. As a result, it was a

matter of a short time before the book became a best seller. At this time, however, the novel

had only been published in Portuguese. Now, about sixteen years later, the success of The

Alchemist is quite unique; it has been published in 56 languages, and hailed as the most

successful book ever written in Portuguese in the history of the language. Although the

material success of the book suggests a universal appeal, it also reflects one of the novels

central tenets: namely, that incredible things can come about from the most unsuspected of

places. I am fairly sure that the small publishing house that passed up The Alchemist, would

agree.

Part of the universal appeal that radiates form the book lies in its simplicity. As will

be discussed in the summary below, The Alchemist plots the tale of Santiago, a young

shepherd boy, as he sets out in search of his treasure. Advised by an old gypsy woman he

abandons that which he has come to know and understand in favor of something new and

unknown, with only optimism, curiosity, and courage as his guides. Along the path the boy

encounters many characters, all of who contribute to his quest in a unique manner.

Ultimately, what the boy acquires as a result of his adventure and those that he meets

extends beyond the material; the riches that he acquires are born of experience and of being

within the world.

1 Definiton taken from the Oxford English Dictionary, (1998).

The spirituality of The Alchemist has attracted people from many different cultures

and religious backgrounds. Whilst different religions and pious practices are represented

within the text, it seems to be people’s faith in determinism and the unification of all things

that is celebrated in the pages of The Alchemist. In advocating no particular belief system,

Coelho achieves something brilliant in that he manages to appeal to some of the

fundamental beliefs that are shared between people of different cultures and creeds by

virtue of being human. And as such, trying to understand the nature of existence and one’s

place in it.

THE AUTHOR

Paulo Coelho was born to Catholic parents in Brazil, in 1947. His father, an

engineer, and his mother, a housewife, had envisioned a life for Paulo, and it did not

involve writing. Fortunately, he rebelled, suffered the consequences and has become one of

the most valuable of contemporary writers in the world today. However, his global success

has not made him complacent, he has worked on the UNESCO project “Spiritual

Convergences and Intercultural Dialogues”, won numerous international awards and

acknowledgements, and also founded the Instituto Paulo Coelho, which aims to provide

opportunities for the underprivileged in Brazil.

Whilst at school Coelho discovered his talent for writing. A life devoted to literature

stood at odds with his father’s ambitions for the young Coelho to become an engineer. The

rebellion against what his parents had set out for him, was taken by Paulo’s father as a sign

of insanity, and in his seventeenth year Coelho was twice committed to an asylum. Upon

his release, Coelho, unbroken, set out to become a journalist and aligned himself with the

theatre. Such behavior was considered provocative of immorality by his parents, and they

responded by yet again committing their son to the care of an institution for the mentally ill.

When, after his third release, Paulo Coelho’s aspirations of becoming a great writer had not

waned, his parents consulted a doctor who informed them that Paulo was not actually ill,

but just needed to get on with his life.

In the 1960’s Paulo Coelho identified with the hippies. At this time Coelho founded

a magazine that sought to promote the values and ideologies of the counter culture – only

two editions were published. It was also around this time that Coelho became involved with

the musician and composer, Raul Sexias. Writing songs together, the Coelho – Sexias duo

became highly influential in the Brazilian rock scene of the time.

During the 1970’s Coelho worked at Polygram records, although he still harbored

desires to become a writer. With these designs in mind he moved to London in 1977, where

he bought a typewriter and began to write. These initial determined forays into writing

proved unsuccessful, and he returned to Brazil a year later. Working as an executive for

another record label, Paulo once again shelved his ambitions to write.

It was in the 1980’s that Paulo Coelho undertook a venture that inspired his first

novel, The Pilgrimage. The story was based on Coelho’s experiences walking The Road to

Santiago, an 830 mile medieval pilgrim’s route between France and Spain. It was at this

time, in the words of Patricia Martin and Montse Ballesteros2, that he discovered “the

extraordinary occurs in the lives of ordinary people”. The Pilgrimage was published in

1987. The following year The Alchemist was published.

Completed in a period of “no more than 10 days”3, The Alchemist was a reflection

of Coelho’s own experiences with the art of alchemy; a discipline he had been exploring for

some years previously. By choosing to represent alchemy allegorically through the fable of

the young shepherd boy, instead of writing a scientific manual on the subject, Coelho

succeeded in reaching millions of readers:

"I decided to write a fable, instead of writing in a sort of scientific way, because it's easier to reach your heart. I had to trust there was a soul of the world and it would help me to write the book. I wrote the book in no more than 10 days. It was like it was there, waiting, and I went and picked it up"4

The Alchemist was Coelho’s second book. He has since penned an additional 14

novels (a list is included below), and gained international recognition as an advocate of

faith and utopia, of pursing one’s goals and ambitions by listening to one’s heart. As a

writer, he has been admitted to the Brazilian Academy of Letters, the most prestigious

acknowledgement a Brazilian writer could aspire to. Further more, his recognition extends

from the institutional to that of the common people; In 1998 Coelho was invited to join the

World Economic Forum, and in 2000 he visited Iran, becoming the first non-Muslim writer

to do so since 1979. As Iran has never signed the International Copyright Agreement, 2 “Paulo Coelho”, Martin and Ballesteros (2002).3 “An Interview with Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho”, Berwick (1994).4 Berwick, (1994).

piracy is rife. However, Paulo Coelho has become the first non-Muslim writer in Iran to

receive royalties for his work.

A SUMMARY OF THE ALCHEMIST

The boy’s name was Santiago. Dusk was falling as the boy arrived with his herd at the abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and an enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the sacristy had once stood.

(The Alchemist, p.5)

In this way the fable begins, with the shepherd boy Santiago coming upon an

abandoned church with his flock of sheep. It is here that he decides to spend the night. And

it is here in the abandoned church, nestled within the Andalusian terrain, that the shepherd

boy has a dream. It is not the first time that he has had this dream, and even after he has

walked for five days with his flock; even after he has become so enthralled in the beauty of

a merchant’s daughter as to consider giving up the wandering life; even then, he cannot

forget this dream. Upon arriving in Tarifa, He seeks out the counsel of an old Gypsy

woman who is said to be able to interpret dreams.

Dubious at first, the boy decides to take a chance and recounts his dream to the

Gypsy. In the dream, a child appears and begins to play with his sheep. This surprises the

boy, as sheep are so often shy, timid animals. Suddenly the child grasps the shepherd’s

hands and transports him to the pyramids of Egypt. Here the child tells Santiago that if he

went to the pyramids he would find a hidden treasure.

It’s a dream in the language of the world…and this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a treasure that will make you a rich man.

( p.16)

The Gypsy charged the boy a tenth of the treasure that he would find for the

interpretation that was given to him. The boy left feeling disenchanted. How was he to get

to the pyramids? That was information that he would have paid gladly for, but all the

Gypsy could offer him was that which he himself already understood from the dream: He

needed to go to the Pyramids of Egypt in order to find a buried treasure. Disillusioned with

dreams, the boy sat down in the town plaza, and began to read a thick book he had bought

because it was thick (thick books, after all, make for better pillows). It is here that the boy

meets the king of Salem, King Melchizedek. The shepherd boy was irritated at first because

the king had interrupted his reveries of the merchant’s daughter, and how he was soon to

impress her with his prowess in shearing sheep – although it appeared that he was reading a

book. Taking the book from him the king divulged the world’s greatest lie to the boy

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked, completely surprised.“It is this: that at 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.

(p. 20)

However, in order to truly capture the boy’s attention the king performed a trick

where-by he wrote down the names of his family members, and “things that he had never

told anyone”. Having done so the shepherd and the king talked. It was in this conversation

with the king that the boy learned of Personal Legends, or Personal Myths – depending on

the translation; further more, that he had discovered what his was: to travel to Egypt and

discover the treasure near the Pyramids. The old man then assured the boy that for one

tenth of his sheep he would tell him how to go about finding the treasure, thus enabling him

to fulfill his Personal Legend. The boy, having sold nine tenths of his flock, then met with

the king of Salem to part with the remaining tenth.

The boy and the king discussed the importance of omens in the quest for fulfilling

one’s Personal Legend. It was the king’s assertion that if the omens are heeded, one will

fulfill one’s Personal Legend more easily. That said, the king conceded that the omens were

not always the easiest things to read, and so he gave the boy two stones, one white and one

black. The stones were called Urim and Thummin.

The black signifies ‘yes’, and the white ‘no’. When you are unable to read the omen, they will help you to do so. Always ask an objective question.

(p. 32)

And so the boy set forth to Africa, the Pyramids, and his Personal Legend.

With enthusiasm for his quest the boy arrived in Tangiers. He felt almost as if the

hard part was over. After all, he had given up everything that he knew and that he had

worked for in order to pursue something only faith, a curious old man who claimed to be a

king, and a Gypsy had told him about. He was considering omens when a boy turned up,

who, whilst a local of Tangiers, spoke Spanish. Comforted by being able to speak in his

native tongue, the two made acquaintances, and upon hearing of the shepherd’s quest the

local offered his assistance in order to procure the necessary supplies for their trip across

the desert. The boy entrusted his money to the local. Naturally, this was not the wisest

course of action, as the boy found out for himself. In the confusion of the market place the

young lad from Tangiers made off with all that the boy had had. All that remained in his

possession was the thick book, his heavy jacket, and the two stones the king had given him.

That morning, the boy had been walking in familiar fields with his sheep sure of the

direction his life was taking. By sunset he sat in a foreign land with nothing. He felt cheated

and lost. In looking for guidance he appealed to Urim and Thummin.

The old man had said to ask very clear questions, and to do that the boy had to know what he wanted. So he asked if the old man’s blessing was still with him. He took out one of the stones. It was ‘yes.’“Am I going to find my treasure?” he asked.He stuck his hand into the pouch and felt around for one of the stones. As he did so, both of them pushed through a hole in the pouch and fell to the ground. The boy had never even noticed that her was a hole in his pouch. (p. 43)

The boy comforted in the knowledge that the man was still with him decided not to

consider himself to be a victim. Instead, he decided that he was “an adventurer looking for

treasure”. This decision empowered the boy and gave him an insight that would be valuable

to him in his quest. It was as if by making the decision to continue he had brought himself

closer to who he truly was, and in doing that he could become more aware of the true

nature of all of those things that surrounded him; in some way he and all of that which was

around him were one and the same.

The boy came upon a crystal merchant and offered his services cleaning the crystal

ware in exchange for food. As he was cleaning the merchant sold two pieces of crystal. Not

being ignorant of omens himself, the merchant offered the boy a job cleaning crystal in his

shop.

“Do you want to go to work for me?” the merchant asked.“I can work for the rest of today,” the boy answered. “I’ll work all night, until dawn, and I’ll clean every piece of crystal in your shop. In return, I need money to get to Egypt tomorrow.”

The merchant laughed. “Even if you cleaned my crystal for an entire year…even if you earned a good commission selling every piece, you would still have to borrow money to get to Egypt. There are thousands of kilometers of desert between here and there.”There was a moment of silence so profound that it seemed the city was asleep. No sound from the bazaars, no arguments among the merchants, no men climbing the towers to chant. No hope, no adventure, no old kings, or Personal Legends, no treasure, and no Pyramids. It was as if the world had fallen silent because the boy’s soul had. He sat there, staring blankly through the door of the café, wishing that he had died, and that everything would end forever at that moment.

(p. 48)

The boy decided to stay and work for the crystal merchant. His bubble had burst. However,

he would still need money to return home and to buy some sheep. Time passed and the boy

worked and managed to save some money. The merchant had been selling crystal from the

same store for some thirty years. He was not a man who welcomed change, nor one who

was particularly prone to taking a chance.

“I’m already used to the way things are. Before you came, I was thinking about how much time I had wasted in the same place, while my friends had moved on, and either went bankrupt or did better than they had before. It made me very depressed. Now, I can see that it hasn’t been too bad. The shop is exactly the size I always wanted it to be. I don’t want to change anything, because I don’t know how to deal with change. I’m used to the way I am.” (p. 59)

The boy however, was of a slightly different ilk. He began to innovate and persuade

the merchant to furnish his shop with new additions and promotions that could entice

customers, such as a display cabinet outside the store, and the selling of tea in the crystal

ware. Soon two more employees were required, and the shop’s reputation extended far and

wide, drawing customers from everywhere.

“Never stop dreaming,” the old king had said. “Follow the omens.”(p. 63)

The boy was now faced with a dilemma. He had been working for almost a year,

and he had saved enough money to return to Andalusia, to buy one hundred and twenty

sheep, and to start an import business. Contemplating his next step, he came to the

realization that one can always go back to what one knows – he could always return to the

life of a shepherd, or now to that of a crystal merchant. But what would it cost to step

forward into the unknown, with one’s only motivation being the pursuit of one’s dreams?

He resolved that the cost would be nil in comparison to the rewards that could be gained

from such a quest. The boy was beginning to extend himself beyond the material, he was

beginning to judge experiences on the quality of those experiences as opposed to the

material benefits that he could acquire by undertaking them. With this resolution in mind he

set of in search of a caravan to take him across the desert.

The Englishman was sitting on a bench in a structure that smelled of animals, sweat, and dust; it was part warehouse, part corral. I never thought I’d end up in a place like this, he thought, as he leafed through the pages of a chemical journal. Ten years at university, and here I am in a corral.

But he had to move on. He believed in omens. All his life and all his studies were aimed at finding the one true language of the universe. First he had studied Esperanto, then the world’s religions, and now it was alchemy. He knew how to speak Esperanto, he understood all the major religions well, but he wasn’t yet an alchemist.

(p. 67)

The boy met an Englishman in search of an alchemist who was said to live at the

Al-Fayoum desert oasis. The two struck up a conversation when the boy produced his two

stones, Urim and Thummim. It turned out that the Englishman had not only heard of the

stones but possessed two of his own. He explained to the boy how he had learned of them

in the bible, and that the stones were the only form of divination permitted by God. Their

relationship deepened as they began talk of omens, and the universal language of the world.

The Englishman’s perspective born out for a fascination with the study of alchemy, and the

boy’s from a desire to experience the world and discover a hidden treasure. They were

both, in different ways, trying to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. With the two

talking about the nature of coincidence and the Soul of the World, the caravan set off into

the desert toward the oasis Al-Fayoum.

The boy went back to contemplating the silence of the desert, and the sand raised by the animals. “Everyone has his or her own way of learning things,” he said to himself. “His way isn’t the same as mine, nor mine as his. But we are both in search of our Personal Legends, and I respect him for that.(p. 85)

It was in the desert that the boy gained a perspective on life and existence. Away

from the hustle and bustle of Tangiers, in the silence of the desert with only the sound of

the wind across the sand dunes, and the soft brushes of hooves across the sands, the boy

learned about the magnitude and interconnectedness of existence, and of life. This

education was compounded by conversations with the camel driver, one of the guides for

the journey across the desert. The camel driver spoke of his past where he owned an olive

orchard on the banks of the Nile. One day the ground shuddered, and the Nile overflowed

flooding the surrounding areas, including the camel driver’s orchard.

The land was ruined, and I had to find some other way to earn a living. So now I am a camel driver. But the disaster told me to understand the word of Allah: people need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want. (p. 78)

The path across the desert was rife with bandits and thieves. Bedouins patrolled the

route, informing the caravans of any danger that might lie ahead for them. It was one of

these Bedouins who informed the caravan, of tribal wars in the area. However, the group

had come too far to return, their only choice was to press on towards the oasis, regardless of

any uncertainty surrounding their arrival at their destination. The caravan moved a little

faster, and did not light anymore fires at night so as not to attract any attention, and armed

guards were posted around the camp. Then one morning…

…the boy awoke as the sun rose. There in front of him, where the small stars had been the night before, was an endless row of date palms, stretching across the entire desert. (p. 87)

Looking out towards the date palms, the boy savored the moment. He realized that

in time his present would be but a memory, but for the time being it was everything. The

oasis held the possibility of a future for the boy, the Englishman, and the other members of

the caravan, something that the previous day had been dubious. The vast oasis with date

palms as far as the eye could see, with three hundred wells and many different colored tents

scattered amongst the trees, provided a refuge for travelers who braved the desert for long

stretches of time. As such, it was considered neutral territory, the fighting took place in the

desert, the oasis was considered a place of refuge, and no weapons were allowed there. It

was also home to the alchemist. He had been informed by the omens that there was one

person amongst the caravan that he should share his secrets with.

The Englishman was eager to seek out the alchemist. Even though he had traveled a

great distance across the desert, he couldn’t rest. He sought out the boy to help him.

Together they searched the oasis to no avail. The Englishman was reluctant to ask people of

the alchemist’s whereabouts, at first. Later, as the search became more obviously futile the

Englishman agreed to begin asking the people of the oasis. The boy proceeded to do so, as

his Arabic was better than the Englishman’s. They quickly learned that the alchemist was

indeed in residence at the oasis, but that he was so powerful that even the tribal chieftains

could not get an audience with him without his prior consent. The Englishman was,

however, jubilant at this news as it meant that they were on the right track. The boy and the

Englishman continued to make enquiries. By doing so the boy met Fatima.

At that moment it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke – the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love.(p. 94)

Smitten, the boy was prompted to ask Fatima of the alchemist’s whereabouts. She

told them of a man who communicates with “the genies of the desert”. With that

information the Englishman was gone. He found the tent that Fatima had told him about

and he sat there and waited. He waited, and waited until the alchemist arrived as the first

stars of the evening were appearing. The Englishman explained his presence, and was

asked if he had ever turned lead into gold. Responding that this was the purpose of his visit,

to learn how to do so, the Englishman was instructed to just try to do so. This is what he

proceeded to do, he tried to apply all that he had learned from this books over the years.

Meanwhile the boy and Fatima continued to meet at the well each day. They would

spend fifteen minutes talking, and over the course of one month they became friends. The

boy had already confessed his love to Fatima on their second meeting, and now a month

later, she responded. Fatima told the boy what it was to be a woman of the desert. How that

meant that the love between a man and a woman of the desert could only be possible if that

love did not entail possession. She told him that he should continue on his quest to fulfill

his Personal Legend, and that she would be waiting for him. For if he did not he would

always remain a man unfulfilled, and thus that would also be her burden.

The caravan had been informed that they could not proceed as tribal wars were

raging in the desert, and to go on would provoke unnecessary danger, so the boy stayed on

at the oasis becoming more accustomed to desert life, and understanding more about the

Soul of the World.

One day whilst walking out in the desert, he saw a pair of hawks flying in the sky.

He watched the hawks as they drifted on the wind. Although their flight appeared to have no pattern it made a certain kind of sense to the boy. It was just that he couldn’t grasp what it meant. He followed the movement of the birds trying to read something into it. Maybe these desert birds could explain to him the meaning of love without ownership. (p. 101)

As the boy watched the birds frolic about the sky, he began to feel that he understood their

movements, that by watching them soar and dive he was gaining access to the Language of

the World. Then suddenly, one of the hawks swooped down and began attacking the other.

At that moment the boy had a flashing vision. He saw an army invading the oasis. Even

though the image was fleeting it left him feeling uneasy afterwards. He remembered what

the old king had said to him about always heeding the omens. He then returned to the oasis

and told the camel driver of his experience.

The camel driver suggested to the boy that he go and share his vision with the tribal

chieftains, which after some consideration that boy duly did. He told the guard at the

chieftains’ tent what he had witnessed and what he believed it signified. After some time he

was granted an audience with the chieftains and he once again recounted his story. The boy

was told that it was a part of their way of life to listen to the messages of the desert, but that

the problem lay with him. Why had the boy, and outsider, been chosen to relay this

message? In the end it was settled that if it turned out that the boy was right he would be

paid in gold for his information. If, however, he was mistaken, he would pay with his life.

The boy left the tent and started to walk back to his own.

Suddenly he heard a thundering sound, and he was thrown to the ground by a wind such as he had never known. The area was swirling in dust so intense that it hid the moon from view. Before him was an enormous white horse, rearing over him with a frightening scream.

When the blinding dust had settled a bit, the boy trembled at what he saw. Astride the animal was a horseman dressed completely in black, with a falcon perched on his left shoulder. He wore a turban and his entire face, except for his eyes, was covered with a black kerchief. He appeared to be a messenger from the desert, but his presence was much more powerful than that of a mere messenger. (p. 110)

The figure on the horse demanded to know how the boy had interpreted the flight of

the hawks. He wanted to know how the boy could understand what was written by Allah’s

almighty hand. The horseman then told the boy that if he was still alive after the army had

come, he should come to find the horseman. With this, he rode away in a fury of hooves

and sand.

The next day, the men of the oasis broke with tradition and carried weapons. Soon

enough, tribesmen appeared on the horizon and made their way into the oasis. They

appeared peaceful enough, but what was not at first obvious, was that they had concealed

weapons in their robes. When the tribesmen came upon the chieftains’ tent they drew their

weapons and attacked. However, the chieftains had anticipated the tribesmen’s attack and

hid elsewhere. The men of the oasis soon retaliated. Outnumbered by the men of the oasis,

the tribesmen were soon quelled. The boy received his gold, and set off in search of the

alchemist.

Sitting and eating with the alchemist the boy retold his exploits so far. He spoke of

how he had been a shepherd, how he had left his home in search of his Personal Legend,

how he had been robbed, and worked in the crystal shop. Then he considered what he had:

a camel, fifty gold pieces, and Fatima. This, he believed, was enough. He felt that this was

all he had been searching for, so therefore he questioned why should he continue to the

pyramids. The alchemist offered him a response, and a glimpse of the future. Together, the

response and the prophecy were enough to convince the boy that he should continue to the

pyramids. After one final visit with Fatima, and a promise to return, the boy and the

alchemist set off into the desert.

As they traveled together the alchemist respected the omens and shared some of his

secrets with the boy. They spoke of the Language and the Soul of the World, and of

Personal Legends. They discussed omens, and how the only way to understand them was

through action. It was not enough to merely read of them. This much the Englishman was

discovering as he sat trying to understand the language of the desert, trying to turn lead into

gold.

Days passed as the two continued across the desert. As they progressed they came

into contact with more and more armed tribesmen, reminding them of the danger that lay

unseen all around them. During this time, the boy found his heart, his core. Through

dialogue with his heart the boy understood what he needed to understand in order to be in

communion with the Soul of the World.

The sun was setting when the boy’s heart sounded a danger signal. They were surrounded by gigantic dunes, and the boy looked at the alchemist to see if he had sensed anything. But he appeared to be unaware of any danger. Five minutes later the boy saw two horsemen waiting ahead of them. Before he could say anything to the alchemist, the two horsemen had become ten, and then a hundred. And then they were everywhere in the dunes.

(p. 140)

The boy and the alchemist were arrested as it was assumed that they were spies. The

alchemist told the tribal leader why they were crossing the desert, he gave away the boy’s

gold, and told the leader that the boy was an alchemist.

“What is an alchemist?” he asked, finally.“It’s a man who understands nature and the world. If he wanted to he could destroy this camp just with the force of the wind.”

Finding this both amusing and implausible, the tribal leader offered a challenge to

the alchemist and the boy. He said that they had three days with which to do just that,

destroy the camp with the wind. If they succeeded they could go free, if not they would die.

Needless to say, the boy was petrified.

In the days that passed the boy came to terms with death, and realized that it

changes very little in life. He listened to his heart and to the desert. On the third day the

tribal leader and his aides went in search of the boy. The boy, the alchemist, the leader and

his officers sat upon a cliff. Then the boy began to speak with the desert. He spoke of love

in an attempt to enlist the help of the desert to accomplish this most difficult task before

him. The desert realized its limitations and advised the boy to bring up this matter with the

wind. The wind, a proud element, presented itself to the boy, who then asked if the wind

could help him turn himself into the wind for just a few moments. The wind was curious,

and although it felt that it had no limits, it did not know how to turn a person into the wind.

Acknowledging its own limitations, the wind suggested that the boy ask the heavens how to

proceed in this most difficult task. The wind blew up a storm, filling the air with sand so

that the boy could look to the heavens without blinding himself and talk with the sun,

meanwhile unnerving the soldiers who looked on. The boy spoke with the sun. The wind

was interested to hear what the sun would say. The boy asked it for help and the sun

acknowledged its own limitations. Instead, the sun suggested that the boy ask ‘the hand that

wrote all’.

The boy turned to the hand that wrote all. As he did so, he sensed that the universe had fallen silent, and he decided not to speak…The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.

(p. 154)

Satisfied, the tribal leader allowed the alchemist and the boy to proceed, offering

them an escort that would accompany them as far as they wished it to. The party arrived at

a monastery three hours away from the pyramids. Here, the alchemist told the boy that he

would be on his own. Before he left, however, the alchemist performed one last feat: he

transformed lead into gold.

The boy continued out towards the pyramids on his own, his faith intact after all his

experiences of late. It was a month after he first set out form the oasis with the alchemist

that he came upon the pyramids. He was overjoyed to have arrived, so overjoyed that he

considered all that he had achieved, all that he had become, and all that he had acquired,

and considered returning to the oasis, to Fatima. But then he recalled that “no project is

completed until its objective has been achieved”. With this notion in mind the boy began to

dig. He dug and he dug, his hands were sore and his arms were tired, but he still continued

digging. Just then some people approached him. Announcing themselves as refugees form

the tribal wars they asked what he was doing in this place.

The men found the boy’s gold and presumed that more was hidden in the place

where he was digging. They forced him to continue digging. He did so. The sun began to

rise, and the boy had yet to present the men with any more gold, so they began to beat him.

At the point where he felt he could take it no more, at the point where he felt that death was

not far off, the boy told the men of his dream, that he had come to the pyramids in search of

treasure. The leader of the group told the others to stop beating the boy. He said that the

boy was silly to have believed in his dreams, that he would have been better off staying at

home, in Andalusia with his sheep.

But before they left, he came back to the boy and said “You’re not going to die. You’ll live, and you’ll learn that a man shouldn’t be so stupid. Two years ago, right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream, too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of Spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept. In my dream, there was a sycamore growing out of the ruins of the sacristy, and I was told that, If I dug at the roots of the sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure. But I’m not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just because of a recurrent dream.”

…the boy stood up shakily, and looked once more at the Pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him, and he laughed back his heart busting with joy.

(p. 164)

MAIN IDEAS AND THEMES IN THE ALCHEMIST

As stated above The Alchemist has been translated into a number of different

languages, and therefore read by a number (somewhere in the millions) of different readers

from different cultures and backgrounds. How does Paulo Coelho manage to engage people

from such diverse origins? This section will aim to answer this question by looking at the

main themes and ideas that are presented in the book. Part of the attraction of this novel lies

in its simplicity, in the clarity of its message. As such, we could possibly consider it as

testimony of the similarities among human beings. Whilst, cultures and creeds mark

obvious differences between people, underlying this is a more profound sense of unity in

the manner with which we proceed through our lives.

Originally, Coelho had intended to write a book on alchemy, in an interview

Dennison Berwick (1994), he offers the following explanation of why the book took the

form it did:

Each one of us is an alchemist, able to change everything into gold, not the physical gold but the philosophical gold…I decided to write a fable, instead of writing in a sort of scientific way, because it's easier to reach your heart. I had to trust there was a soul of the world and it would help me to write the book.

Coelho also offers the four pillars of alchemy as being integral to the shape of the book.

The four pillars are i) a belief in the soul of the world, ii) the voice of the heart, iii) one’s

destiny, and iv) the omens.

From the summary above, the centrality of the four pillars should be apparent. Each

will receive a little more attention below. In addition, the theme of religion is fairly

prominent; with key references to Christianity and Islam interwoven into the backdrop of

the story. To begin with, then, here is a brief discussion of the place of religion within The

Alchemist.

RELIGION

In the beginning of the story Santiago, the shepherd boy visits an old gypsy woman

in order to ask her to interpret his dreams, and ultimately set him out on his quest. He then

meets the King of Salem, Melchizedek, who nurtures the boy’s sense of adventure and

offers him a path, and something to belief in whilst undertaking his treasure hunt. Finally,

the crystal merchant, the camel driver and the alchemist, conspire in the fable to help

Santiago achieve fulfill his dream. A closer look at these characters offers a glimpse of the

role religion plays in The Alchemist.

In the Gypsy’s back room hung the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a sign that inspired faith

in the boy. Stories about Gypsies did not, generally, portray them as the most pious people.

Some even said that they had entered into pacts with the devil, and most stories promoted

Gypsies as tricksters. Coming from a Catholic background, Santiago felt ill at ease in the

company of a pagan, and so recites a Catholic prayer to protect himself. But, the Gypsy’s

role is central in that she ignites the possibility of adventure in the boy.

Next, the boy meets the King of Salem, Melchizedek. The King offers the boy

guidance and inspires great faith in him. Indeed, later in the story, when the boy is

desperate, or when things seem like they are falling down all around him, the boy

remembers the king and seems to conjure up the strength to continue. It is argued (but not

in The Alchemist) that the King of Salem was a real person. There are references to him in

the Old Testament of the Bible. Some people belief that Melchizedek was actually the Son

of God, or Jesus.

As the boy moves through North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt, the key characters

who help him on his way are the crystal merchant, the camel driver, and the alchemist.

Through these characters the boy encounters Islam, and the central tenet that all is written

by the hand of Allah. Maktub is a prominent saying throughout the novel, characters appeal

to it when they want to explain why things are the way they are, or how they came to be

that way. The translation offered in the story is ‘it is written’.

The references to the different religions are apparent enough to warrant attention,

but not so prominent as to provoke scrutiny. It would seem that Coelho is portraying

religion as distinct from spirituality; that religion is a way for people to understand the

world around them, to help them get to where they need to be in life, and ultimately to

satisfy the necessary spiritual urge of contentment. Whilst religion and faith are

cornerstones of any given society, they are secondary to what they promote – namely

spiritual satisfaction among the members of a community. This is how Paulo Coelho

portrays religion in The Alchemist. Religions, he argues, point towards the same light and

help us answer the questions that lie between that light and where one is at in their life.5

Ultimately, each individual on earth has a purpose, in the novel this idea is referred

to as a one’s Personal Legend. Our only obligation in life, it is said, is to fulfill our destiny.

It seems like Coelho is suggesting that religion is a means by which individuals can do this,

it is a means to each individual’s respective end. This idea may be a little hard to grasp

when considered in isolation, however to understand it more fully we should consider the

four pillars of alchemy.

THE SOUL OF THE WORLD

This is suggested by Coelho as being the first of the four pillars. A belief in the Soul

of the World is a belief that all things in life are connected; they are parts of the same

whole. As is the case with things working in unity, that which occurs in the world affects

each individual, and the actions of each individual affect the world, to a greater or lesser

degree. Because the Soul of the World would be an expression of all things that exist, it

would be rather large. To understand the enormity and the extent of this Soul would take

more than a thousand lifetimes, thus it is enough, for most people, to acknowledge its

existence through their beliefs and spend their time more fruitfully by trying to find out

what their unique part in it all actually is.

THE VOICE OF THE HEART

The second of the four pillars is the voice of the heart. This is understood to mean

the core of an individual, the part of them that is unique and distinct, whilst at the same

time being connected to all things, connected to the Soul of the World. In the story it is only

by getting in touch with his heart and listening to what it has to say that the boy is able to

find his treasure, that he is able to fulfill his Personal Legend. It seems like Coelho is

presenting the idea that if we listen to our hearts we can understand truth. Our hearts can

5 Sheahen

tell us what is right for us in any situation, and what it is we should and should not be

doing. That said, it is not always easy to listen to what our hearts have to say, as the boy

discovers himself.

“But my heart is agitated,” the boy said. “It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.”“Well, that’s good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say.”(p. 130)

DESTINY

The third pillar is your destiny. You have to follow your dreams. You have to try to be happy. You have to be faithful to your dreams because they are there for a reason. There is a meaning for them. God doesn't mean you to be frustrated. They are there to test you, but also to be fulfilled(Berwick, 1994)

Above, is how Coelho outlines the significance of destiny. For Santiago, without an idea of

destiny he may not have set out on his journey in the first place, and settled for marrying

the merchant’s daughter back in the Andalusian countryside. In the story the idea of each

person having a pre-determined destiny is presented to readers through the idea of the

Personal Legend. It seems from what Coelho says, above, that each person’s destiny is

alive in her or his heart, and it is presented to that person through their dreams. It was after

all the dream that spurred Santiago’s journey in the first place.

THE OMENS

The omens are the fourth pillar of alchemy and are indispensable to Santiago in his

quest for his hidden treasure. Through the omens one can listen to the universe, tune in to

the Soul of the World, and understand the true nature of things. The omens tell the boy of

things that have come to pass, things that are, and how things will soon be. It is by listening

to the omens that the boy’s fortunes change, often for the better. For example, because he

understands the Language of the World, he is able to interpret the hawks flying in the desert

as a sign of what is to come. By relaying this information to the Chieftains his status is

elevated at the oasis, and he gets the alchemist’s attention. The omens require faith to be

understood, as they might be suggesting something that goes against one’s own judgment.

In order for them to be heeded, one needs to surrender to the will of the universe.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1. One of the main ideas in the story is about how we learn. In The Alchemist it is

suggested that we learn best by doing. What do you think this means? Do you agree

or disagree? How do you think that this idea is relevant to how you learn?

2. In the story the boy finds spiritual fulfillment not by following a particular religion,

but by pursuing his destiny. How far do you agree with this? Can religion and

spiritual fulfillment be separated?

3. When you really want something, the universe always conspires in your favor.

Do you agree? Why or why not? Can you think of any examples in your life that

support your answer?

OTHER BOOKS BY PAULO COELHO (in English)

Eleven Minutes Year: 2003

The Devil and Miss Prym Year: 2000 Veronika Decides to Die

Year: 1998Fathers, Sons and GrandsonsYear: 2001

The Alchemist Year: 1988

Manual of the Warrior of LightYear: 1997

The Fifth Mountain Year: 1996

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept Year: 1994

The PilgrimageYear: 1987

Brida Year: 1990 The Valkyries

Year: 1992

Maktub Year: 1994

O Dom Supremo (The Gift)Year: 1991

Love Letters from a Prophet Year: 1997

Paulo Coelho: The Confessions of a PilgrimYear: 1999