Introduction
The Alchemist is a book ( novel ) of Paulo Coelho. Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist and lyricist. This is a fiction book. Full of fantasy, drama, Quest and Adventure fiction. Unlike all the books written by Paulo Coelho, this book is the most different and valuable. Since being published in the year 1988, this book has touched only the sky highs. Originally written in Portuguese, this book has been written in more than 60 languages today due to its popularity. And since then, it is an international best seller written in most languages. The story of this book is about a young shepherd boy who teaches how to keep dreams alive by facing every difficulties in the race to find the treasure of dream. So let’s turn on again. (The Alchemist Summary)
Summary
Before understanding this further, let’s know about the main character of this book.
Santiago
A child born in a peasant family in the Andalusian region of Spain, whose wish was to roam the whole world. His father at home wanted to make him a priest, but that boy only wanted to travel and roam around the world.
One day he said this to his father, he thought that his father would be angry after hearing this, but nothing like this happened. His father gave 3 gold coins and said if you want to travel the world, buy sheep from it and go towards your dream. The boy’s name is Santiago.
To sell the wool from his sheep he had to go to places to places. This time the boy is going to a place called Tarifa where he has gone before. The last time he met the daughter of a wool merchant there, now thinking about her which has become the routine of this boy.
Dreams
In the desire to meet that girl, that boy once again decides to go to Tarifa. On the way to Tarifa with his sheep, it becomes night, then he sees an old church nearby. The church is now in abandoned and ruins due to being very old, he sees a Sycamore tree nearby and he thinks to keep his sheep in the church, I sleep under the Sycamore tree and will depart again tomorrow morning.
At night, he has a dream. In the dream, he sees a little girl, he also see that a lot of treasure is hidden under the Pyramids of Egypt, who is calling him. The girl was going to tell the address of that treasure but the boy wakes up. He feels this great wonder and confused because he has seen this dream not once but twice. (The Alchemist Summary)
Taking this strange dream, when he reaches Tarifa, then he gets to know about a Gypsy woman who specializes in explaining the meaning of dreams. Then he goes to that woman. The woman understands when she sees that he does not have much money, she says I will not be able to give you much time, so ask for whatever you have to ask soon.
He tells that woman about his dream and that woman tells him, I will tell you the meaning of this dream only when you promise to give me a tenth part of your treasure. Santiago thinks a little and then agrees to that woman. The woman tells him that he has a great treasure in his fortune, which he will find on those Pyramids in Egypt and he should go to Egypt. The boy thinks that this woman is fooling me and there is no such treasure.
King of Salem
Disappointed and Frustrated with the woman’s talk, Santiago goes out to the market and after buying a book from a bookstore, sits in a shop table. Then an old man arrives, he tries to talk to the boy but due to Santiago’s disappointment he wants this man to leave from here. Through the newly purchased book of Santiago, that person becomes successful in talking to that boy.
The old one says, I can take you to that treasure. Hearing this, Santiago thinks that woman must have sent this man, she did not even charge me anything. Then the old man tells him that my name is Melchizedek and I am the king of Salem, I like travelling, so I roam in disguise. Then the old man writes in the ground about the boy’s parents and the things he did not tell anyone. The old man tells him that I can tell you about the treasure but you have to give me a tenth part of my sheeps. (The Alchemist Summary)
Old man tells him that When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. Santiago says that he can give tenth part of his treasure instead of his sheep. Then the old man says that if you vow to give what you do not have, then you will lose the desire to get it. The boy thinks that I have come from leaving my parents and by now they must have learned to live without me, then the sheep and the daughter of that merchant do not even know me properly and can live without me.
Urim and Thummim.
The next day he gives a tenth of the sheep to that old man and sells the remaining sheep and collects some money. The old man tells him that the pyramids are in Egypt. He tells that to reach there he has to follow the signals of nature. He also gives him 2 stones and says that it is Urim and Thummim. They will guide you, but do not use them less. It is also wrong to use them more, which will make you dependent on them. The old man also taught him a lot of things which from time to time led him to remain in his goal.
The Journey
The old man boards Santiago in an Africa ship where he will go to Egypt. Upon reaching Tanjir in Africa, the boy is confronted by a thug who runs away with his all money. Seeing all this Santiago feels very sad that he starts crying thinking that I came here unnecessarily. I had sheep I could roam with them. How happy I was with my sheep. I shouldn’t have come here.
But then he thinks with a cold mind, this place is not strange, it is just new and I have gone to so many new places. In that city, at the top of the hill, he sees a crystal shop, that shop is very dirty, then the boy says to the owner of the shop that I clean the glass and in return you feed me food.
When the boy cleans the glass, 2 people come to his shop, seeing that the owner of the shop feels that this boy has brought luck for me and the owner of the shop keeps the boy on the job in the shop. The boy was indeed an omen for the owner of that shop.
One day while going up the mountain, Santiago sees some people who are very tired while climbing the mountain, then there is a thought comes in his mind and he tells the shop owner that we should open a tea shop outside the shop. He says that there are many tea shops here, then Santiago says, we will give tea in a glass of crystal, after the owner adopts this idea, his shop starts running more.(The Alchemist Summary)
The desert
In a year, the shop’s owner becomes rich and Santiago also collects so much money that he can buy twice as many sheep as he had before. He thinks Spain is just 2 hours away. I can go back now. But then, that old man comes to his mind and he thinks that I have come close to 2 hours from my dream now and then he goes out on his dream journey.
During his journey, Santiago meets a foreign English man who later becomes his friend. The English man is looking for an alchemist. The alchemist is a man who can turn anything into gold. During the journey, they find out that there is a fight in the desert and their caravan stops in a nearby village until the fight is over.
Fatima
The English man who is looking for an alchemist starts searching for him and Santiago also helps him. Santiago who speaks the local language well, so he goes to the people to ask the alchemist’s address. Despite asking a lot of people, no one tells them the alchemist’s address. The people of that tribe think that the alchemist is an exorcist and everyone is afraid of him. But after some time they both meet a girl named Fatima, Fatima tells them the address of the alchemist, after seeing Fatima, Santiago falls in love with her. And even after knowing the alchemist’s address, he goes to meet Fatima daily.
The English man, who has now found the alchemist’s address, now goes to meet him. The alchemist tells him that you have spent 10 years searching for me. Have you ever thought of becoming an alchemist, the English man says no, then that alchemist tells him go and try to make gold.
The Alchemist
After living in the desert for a few days, Santiago now begins to understand the language of the desert, one day he is seen fighting 2 eagles, then he has a vision that some people are going to attack the tribe. He tells this to the head of the clan, the head of the clan agrees to him but he puts a condition that if it does not happen then we will kill you.
On the same day, a man in a white horse, searching for Santiago, arrives and asks who has predicted that the tribes are about to be attacked. Santiago stands up and says that I am, the man puts a sword on Santiago’s head, then he says that if you survive tomorrow, come and meet me. Santiago asks Where? The man then reveals his address with his hand pointing towards the Mound.
On the second day there is a real fight and the tribesmen escape because of being prepared and all the fighters of tribes kill the warriors. The head of the clan, being happy with Santiago, and gives him 50 gold coins in the prize. As that horseman said that if you are saved, then come and meet me, Santiago does the same and goes to him and see that that the man is an Alchemist.
The language of the universe
The alchemist tells him that I will help you to get the treasure and they both go out for Egypt and after traveling for a few days, some tribesman get them and they take them to the head of the tribe. In order to escape, the alchemist gives the Santiago’s gold coins to them, but the head of that tribe does not spares their life, then the alchemist says that this boy is a great magician and can turn himself by a storm and blow your whole clan. On hearing this, all the tribesmen start laughing.
The head of the tribes gives them 3 days time. And says that if this boy does not turn himself into air then we will finish both of you. Hearing all these things, Santiago horrified on a lot and says to the alchemist that I will not be able to do that, we will both die, then the alchemist says that you can just focus in the language of the universe. Let go the fear of failure and death you can do it easily. And you have to do it and only you will die, because I know how to change myself into air.
When the time comes for the third day to change himself, Santiago tells those tribesmen that it will take some time and gets up on a hill. Santiago is successful in bringing the storm by talking to the wind, sand and sun.
Egypt
Seeing the act of Santiago, the alchemist is delighted and the people of tribes are afraid of him and they let them go away. After a few more days in the desert, both of them arrive in a Monk’s hut then the alchemist tells Santiago that the path ahead you have to go alone and is only 2 hours away from the pyramids.
The alchemist then show and turn the lead into gold and cut it into 4 pieces. One he keeps to himself, one he gives to Santiago and 2 parts he gives to Monk, one for him and one for Santiago when he returns from pyramids.
From there, the path of Santiago and the alchemist diverges and Santiago sets out on his journey to the treasury, and after some time the Sound of the Universe comes from his heart and says that Where your tears fall, there will be a Treasure. Moving forward, he finally gets a glimpse of the great pyramid and he sits down happily, and tears start falling from his eyes.
Sycamore tree. The real treasure
Santiago starts digging and as he digs a little, a breeze comes and fills the pit. As soon as he digs a hole, only then, some people come and start questioning him. They feel that he is hiding something here and they start beating Santiago, they also take his piece of gold. Then he remembers the alchemist’s word, if you are going to die, tell the truth, after death you will not get any amount of money.
He tells them that there is a treasure here. I saw it 2 times in a dream. They start laughing after hearing Santiago and one of them says that you are crazy. I had a similar dream that there is a treasure near a Sycamore tree near a ruined church in Andalusia, Spain, but I am not a fool who would believe this kind of dreams. Then those people leave him, saying that he has nothing.
Hearing this, Santiago looked towards Pyramids and he felt that those Pyramids are laughing at him and he also started laughing. He knows where his treasure is. (The Alchemist Summary)
Believe in dreams
The boy reached the small, abandoned church. The sycamore was still there in the sacristy, and stars could still be seen through half destroyed roof. Now he was here not with his flock, but with his shovel. He sat looking at the sky for a long time then he took a bottle of wine and drank some. Santiago remembered the nights in the desert when he sat with the alchemist . He thought of many roads he had traveled and the strange way god had chosen to show him his treasure.
If he hadn’t believed in the significance of recurrent dreams he would not have met anyone. But the path was written in the omens and there was no way I could go wrong, he said to himself. He began to dig at the base of the sycamore.
Then the boy shouted up to the sky, You old sorcerer. You knew the whole thing. You even left a bit of gold at the monk’s hut so I could get back to this church. The monk laughed when he saw me came back in tatters. Couldn’t you have saved me for that. couldn’t tell me earlier. (The Alchemist Summary)
‘No’ he heard a voice on the wind say. If I had told you, you wouldn’t have seen the pyramids. They’re beautiful, aren’t they? The boy smiled and continued digging. After that his shovel hits something solid. He found his treasure. Spanish gold coins, precious stones and stone statues embedded with gold and gems.
Faith
The boy took out urim and thummim, he had used this stones only once. His life and his path always provided him with enough omens. He placed urim and thummim in his chest. Then he think of that old man. Then he remember that he has to go to tarifa so he could give one teth of his treasure to the Gypsy women, as he promised. Those gypsies are really smart, he thought. The wind began to blow again, the wind that came from Africa. The boy smiled and says, I’m coming Fatima.
And this is how this book ends.
Some quotes we all need to know
When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. (The Alchemist Summary)
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist
When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist
Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.(The Alchemist Summary)
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist
We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist
So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you. (The Alchemist Summary)
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist
Insight/review
This book is one of the best fiction book I have ever read. The words have been described and selected so closely and correctly that are well appreciated. Some of the verses of the story were going to make the story stand out. Once you start reading this book, I don’t think you will be able to stop yourself from reading it. Writing is also very unprecedented, you will be drowned. (The Alchemist Summary)
There was also a lot of suspense in the book, which works to keep a reader tied, if the title of the book is so impressive, then its story must have been amazing. I was completely lost in this book, there were moments when I felt that I was reading a Motivational Self Help book, but the next moment I was in the world of dreams. There was also a moment when I felt that I was reading a book full of love. Then one time, I am reading a book containing treasures. There was a complete package.
The theme of the whole book was that listen to the voice of your heart. And we also have to learn this, listen to your heart, difficulties will come and from those difficulties you will be able to turn yourself from lead to gold. A real treasure is not what we are looking for, a real treasure is what we become when we seek it.
The language style of the book was sweet and simple. Words were easy to understand. No difficult words to be seen. Talking about character development. I just loved the development of the characters in this book. Truly speaking, A very impactful book. (The Alchemist Summary)
Rating
5/5
Conclusion
We should try to fulfill our dreams by eliminating our fear of failure. Keep trying whole heartedly, we will surely get success, when we want something, all the universe conspires in helping us to achieve it. Life becomes enjoyable with the possibility of dreams coming true.
We succeed in making our dreams come true at any time, just we should continue to move forward towards our dream by being determined. Whatever we learn, we learn from our journey as if the treasure which Santiago had found was always there, but he had to go on his journey and understand it, and to understand himself. If he refused to go, he would never find a treasure, like that Egyptian man.
Gold is within us, we should keep growing by wishing to change our lead into gold. (The Alchemist Summary)
I strongly recommend Everyone to read this wonderful book
Read all the quotes of this book. Click here.
The Alchemist Summary & Review
ABOUT THE Author
Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist and lyricist. best known for his novel The Alchemist.
