The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Free Essay Example

The Alchemist is a book written by Paulo Coelho. The author narrates about Santiago, a shepherd boy, who follows his dream as the narrative describes it. Santiago is troubled by a revenant dream and constantly gets the same vision each time he sleeps beneath a specific sycamore tree. In this vision, a child tells Santiago to go in pursuit of treasure; this treasure is located at lower part of the Egyptian pyramids. Santiago then decides to ask for an interpretation of his dream from a gypsy woman, and to his surprise, the gypsy woman informs him to travel to Egypt (Coelho, 2014). He also meets a magical and strange older adult called Melchizedek. Melchizedek self-proclaims himself as the king of Salem. Melchizedek repeats the advice of the gypsy woman and also informs the shepherd boy head to Egypt since his legend is to travel to the pyramids of Egypt. Melchizedek tells the shepherd boy about bad and good omens and informs him that his purpose is to go after his legend. Melchizedek gives Santiago two stones, Thummim and Urim for him to use to interpret the bad and good omens (Coelho, 2014). Melchizedek makes Santiago agree to sell his flock before setting off on a journey to Tangier. Upon arrival at Tangier, Santiago is robbed, and this makes him to look for a job in a local crystal merchant trader. The merchant is kind and conservative, and he teaches Santiago some good lessons. Santiago motivates the Merchant, and he encourages him to take some risks in his crystal business. The conviction pays off as Santiago within a year becomes a rich person (Coelho, 2014).

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As soon as we are introduced to Santiago, we learn that he is not like any other shepherd boy. Notably, Santiago is a regular reader, and this is surprising for a shepherd boy. Shepherding is not a normal career for a young man who is educated, but Santiago is very comfortable with what he does. It is also important to note that Santiago is very tolerant, and this trait makes him successful in his job. Santiago purchases books as he pleases and appears to be comfortable with the lifestyle he leads. His strange dream is also a signal of the greatness which waits in the future. Every human being no matter their life situation always has dreams. The dreams may be alive and vibrant and even pulsating to our whole being; they may be even dead probably because they are worn down by our daily life affairs or the weight of years. From this reading, we can learn how people who nourish expansive and great dreams in their hearts lead lives full of direction and meaning. It is important to keep our dreams alive for us to live lives full of fulfillment and joy. Only the ones who pursue their goals no matter how challenging it might be can make something out of their selves and live the life they choose. Just like Santiago, we all can give up our day to day behaviors and pursue more essential goals which give our lives a meaning especially when we feel that we can accomplish and do more with our lives.

References

Coelho, P., (2014). The Alchemist. Random House.