Many people find treasure in the most unexpected places. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho talks about a boy named Santiago who is looking for treasure from a dream he had. In the excepts that were presented to us, Santiago has just lost all his money because he was robbed, and is working for a crystal merchant. Business is very slow, and if Santiago wants to move on with his journey anytime soon, sales would have to go way up. This is why he suggested having a sort of display outside in order to show the people, and although the crystal merchant was hesitant, he eventually accepted the idea, and strangely enough, it actually worked. Business went well for a long time and the crystal merchant believes that Santiago is some sort of good omen. During this long adventure, Santiago and the crystal merchant talk about their dreams. Santiago wants to go to his sheep while the crystal merchant dreams of Mecca. Here’s the difference; Santiago is actually willing to make his dream come true, while the crystal merchant simply stayed with his crystals and never had real motivation to actually go to Mecca. He’s been staying with the crystal business for over 30 years, and we never really know what happened to him or if he ever summed up the courage to go on an adventure and go through with his dream, but we can only hope for the best.
Based on the excepts that we read, we can see that Santiago is truly a good omen for the crystal merchant. Omens just mean something that indicates what is likely to happen in the future and whether it will be good or bad. We know that the crystal merchant’s business is not doing very well, but after adapting to the suggestions of Santiago, he is earning much more income. This could be an omen of a brighter future. It could also indicate that the merchant was successful in adapting to change. In spite of the fact that omens don't always have good meaning for the future, it is evident that Santiago, when he decided that he was going to work in the crystal industry and in this particular job in particular, did everything he could in order for the business to succeed, and he would receive a greater amount of income so that he could continue living his dream. Although Santiago is not really an Omen, he is a person, he can still act like one towards the crystal business. This is proven when even the crystal merchant thinks that he is sort of like a lucky charm towards the shop. Although Santiago eventually moved on and left the business, we can still hope that the crystal merchant’s business is still doing very well without him.
Having a dream is one thing, but making it come true is another. This is where the merchant and Santiago differ. While the crystal merchant simply dreams of Mecca, Santiago wishes to actually go to the pyramid for treasure and return to his sheep. The difference here is that one person actually has the motivation to accomplish something they desire. Now, this determination changes everything because if Santiago was robbed and didn’t have the determination to continue on with his journey, he would’ve never worked for the crystal merchant and never reached his goal at all. Santiago's determination was an integral part of his success. It was basically what kept him going despite the obstacles he faced. We don’t know if the crystal merchant will eventually go to Mecca or not, but we can hope so!
Learning things in the most unexpected ways is going to happen a lot through one’s life. Santiago learned many things from the crystal merchant during his time working there. The first thing he learned was that sometimes change is a good thing, like when he proposed that cabinet idea to the merchant, it was a drastic change to the shop, but it all ended up going well, and business was better than ever. The second thing he learned was that he has to know what it is that he is looking for in life, which was his sheep and treasure. This message from the crystal merchant encouraged him to keep going and to earn enough money to fulfill his dream. He also learned how to deal in crystal, about a language spoken without any words and about omens. Lastly, he learned to never give up no matter what. The crystal merchant has been working in his business for 30 years because he never gave up on the crystal industry. Even when business was hard, he kept persisting, and finally, after Santiago arrived, his business became successful again, leading to more income, all because he never gave up. These important things will help shape Santiago into the person he is throughout the rest of the story.
In conclusion, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho talks about a boy who looks for travels to look for treasure, and eventually finds out that it was where he started the entire time. Although Santiago’s journey had many ups and downs, and he nearly died, he ended up learning many things, and many could consider it worth it. He eventually found the treasure, which was very well deserved. The crystal merchant finally decided to listen to Santiago’s idea for change, and it ended up working out very well. This could be a lesson for others on the importance of being open to new ideas and taking risks. Never giving up on our dreams is something that we should value and prioritize, because when we try hard enough, it will work out. Santiago's story serves as a reminder of the power of perseverance and resilience, and that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. His story also serves as a reminder to never give up on our dreams, no matter how difficult the journey may be. Both him and the crystal merchant have dreams, but only Santiago was able to carry through with his, because he actually had the motivation to do what he can in order to accomplish it. Learning things in life is natural, and like Santiago, we will learn things everywhere we go, and it is important to apply these things into our life, like how Santiago listened to the crystal merchant when he said to know what it is that he wants. This story teaches us many things, and if ever we happened to do something similar to what Santiago did, we should try our best.
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