“In the search for treasure, you will find a treasure within yourself.”
“Your journey is more meaningful than the destination.” This is one of the key lessons I took away from The Alchemist. In this review, we’ll explore how personal journeys shape who we become, and how, in the end, the true treasure we seek is often ourselves.
Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist‘ tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago, who dreams of travelling the world. Living in an abandoned church, he keeps dreaming of treasure hidden in the Pyramids of Egypt. What follows is a magical journey of self-discovery, as Santiago uncovers not only external treasures but also treasures within himself.
The book is divided into two parts, each revealing a new chapter in Santiago’s adventure. For me, The Alchemist is a masterpiece, and I’m excited to share my honest thoughts on this literary gem.
Before we dive in, I have to give credit to Paulo Coelho. His ability to tell such an inspiring story, with such beautiful simplicity, is truly amazing. His words flow like pearls strung together from the lessons of life. Coelho’s writing, shaped by his personal struggles, adds real depth to the story. Once pressured by his parents to study law, he ran away and lived as a hippie to finally follow his true passion—writing, a career his family didn’t even recognize at the time.
Now, let’s talk about The Alchemist.
Santiago’s deep desire to explore the world is what drives him to become a shepherd. But even this decision is met with resistance from his family, who wanted him to become a priest—just as many of us today feel pressure to follow conventional careers like medicine or engineering, often sacrificing our own dreams.
Santiago ignores these expectations and becomes a shepherd, sleeping in an abandoned church, with his books as pillows. His journey truly begins when he visits the town of Tarifa to sell wool and meets a fortune-teller. She tells him that the treasure in his dream is real, but in exchange for her advice, she asks for one-tenth of his future treasure. She explains that dreams and instincts are part of the world’s language—a divine sign to follow.
Soon after, Santiago meets a mysterious old man, Melchizedek, the King of Salem. He encourages Santiago to pursue his “Personal Legend”—his true purpose in life. In exchange for one-tenth of his flock, Melchizedek tells him to go to Egypt, to the Pyramids, where his treasure lies. He also gives Santiago two stones, Urim and Thummim, to help him read the omens on his journey.
After selling his sheep, Santiago finally has enough money to begin his journey to Egypt, although he’s aware of the challenges ahead, including the language barrier.
And that wasn’t enough; he was shattered when even the money was stolen by someone he believed to be an omen guiding him toward his dream.
The situation left him with no choice but to work at a crystal shop, where the shopkeeper himself had followed an omen to hire Santiago after witnessing two purchases made in his presence. The traveller, now standing tall again, declared, “I am an adventurer, looking for treasures,” hoping to save enough from this job to finally begin his journey to the Pyramids.
But his spirit sank when the shopkeeper said, “You can’t make enough money for that, not even after years of work.” Faced with the option of buying some sheep and returning to his old life, he chose to work at the crystal shop, hoping to save enough money for that. He eventually began his new journey at the port in Tangier.
But was this the end? Did he never find what he was searching for? Not quite. Let’s continue into the next part of the book, or the story, after the interval.
Santiago worked for 11 months and 9 days with the shopkeeper, who expanded his shop during that time.
Now, Santiago had saved enough for 120 sheep, a return ticket, and a licence to import goods from Africa. He dressed in his Arabian linen, bought for this special day, and sought the merchant’s blessing before leaving to buy his flock.
But deep down, he wasn’t satisfied. Despite his hard work over the past year, the dream of tending sheep had lost its allure, minute by minute.
He returned to the bar from his first day and met a merchant supplier who crossed the desert. Remembering the old man’s advice, Santiago realised the importance of pursuing his dream.
This shows the importance of following your true dream and purpose, even when things get tough. Santiago is now ready to begin his journey to the Pyramids again, relying on his experience of handling difficult situations.
He remembered that one of the crystal merchant’s suppliers used caravans to transport goods across the desert.
As Santiago’s journey unfolds, he meets the alchemist, who teaches him that the true treasure is not external, but the wisdom gained from the journey itself. The alchemist reveals that life’s experiences, both good and bad, transform us into who we are meant to be.
Reaching the Pyramids, Santiago discovers that the treasure was never gold, but the insights he gained along the way. His journey becomes a metaphor for pursuing one’s true calling, showing that the greatest treasure is the person we become in the process.
The Alchemist reminds us that life is about the journey, not the destination, and that in following our dreams, we uncover the real treasure within ourselves.
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