The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo centers on a young Spanish shepherd from Andalusia named Santiago who was troubled by a dream he had. Whenever he slept under a tree that had grown from the ruins of a nearby church, he had a vision where a young child kept pushing him to seek out treasure. Santiago went to a fortune teller to ask if it was his future to find treasure, and the fortune teller said that he would find wealth in the pyramids of Egypt. Santiago set out for the pyramids of Giza. On the way, he was robbed by thieves and lost all his money. As a result, he had to work for a crystal merchant. After earning enough money to complete his trip, he meets a wise alchemist who teaches him to realize his true self. When he reaches the pyramids he is once more robbed by the thieves and asked what he is digging for. Santiago says he is looking for treasure, but the leader laughs, saying he also once dreamed of treasure under a tree in a ruined church, making Santiago realize the treasure he sought was where he had his dream all along.
Dreams and reality can sometimes be conflicted, but they don’t have to be. Reality should be treated as one of the steps to achieving our dreams, not an obstacle. Reality might pose certain challenges but those challenges can help us improve and get closer to our goals, such as in the case of Santiago. On the way to the pyramids, he had been robbed and lost all his money. Because of this, he had to work for the owner of a crystal shop. While there, an Englishman told him of an alchemist who could turn any metal into solid gold. Later at the pyramids he is robbed again and left bruised and bleeding. However, he eventually learns that the treasure he was after was really just buried under the roots of the sycamore tree where he first had his dream of finding treasure in Egypt. Santiago faced challenges such as being robbed and being attacked, but these experiences got him closer to his goal. Reality can seem like a limitation on our abilities to achieve our dreams, but it can also be a stepping stone to our goals.
Achieving our dreams is not as important as how we do so on the way. We should care more about the journey, not the destination it leads to since the process is more important for our personal growth. If Santiago simply just found the treasure under the roots of the tree instead of traveling to Egypt, he would have missed out on many life lessons that he learned on the way, many of which came from the alchemist. The alchemist taught Santiago that human life was like metal, and personal growth was like refining it and turning it into gold, just like he is capable of turning metal into gold. When back at the tree digging for treasure, Santiago shouted at the sky, asking why the alchemist didn’t just tell him where the treasure was to begin with. The alchemist replied that if he did, Santiago never would have seen the beautiful pyramids. Santiago’s experiences teaches us that simply achieving our goals is not the only part of pursuing our dreams. The process matters just as much, if not more. The journey is more important than the destination.
True love is when both sides are interdependent and support each other; otherwise it can be corrupted. So long as both sides don’t depend on each other, their relationship can be altered or destroyed. Santiago met Fatima and fell in love with her at a desert oasis and was so infatuated with her that he proposed a marriage. Fatima said she will marry him after he finds his treasure. However, Santiago realizes his relationship lacked depth since it was based on pettiness and good looks. Later, when Santiago went home and found his treasure, he could feel Fatima waiting for him even though they were hundreds of miles apart. This time, he sensed it was true love, and went to his love interest after the story ended. At first, Santiago fell in love with Fatima because of her beauty, but he later realized that love that originates from petty things like looks is not real love. Later, when Santiago smells Fatima’s perfume being carried across by the wind, he knows that this time, it's true love. Relationships often start with small things but can evolve into meaningful ones.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo tells of a young shepherd who hopes to find treasure in Egypt after he has a dream under a sycamore tree. On the way, he falls in love with a young lady named Fatima, but he believes it's not true love and carries on. Later, he meets an old alchemist capable of turning metal into gold, and teaches him many life lessons which turn out to be immensely beneficial to Santiago. Santiago eventually reaches the pyramids but was attacked by robbers who beat him until near death, and their leader says he also had a dream of treasure when under the sycamore tree. Santiago realizes that the treasure had been under that tree all along. After finding the treasure chest, he decides to return to Fatima after feeling her essence through the wind, believing that this time it was true love that was calling him to her. From Santiago’s experiences, we can learn three themes. First, dreams and reality don’t have to be conflicted; in fact the latter can be used as a stepping stone to achieve the former. Second, the destination is not as important as the journey. Third and finally, true relationships are when both sides support and depend on each other.
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