The Alchemist

With 8,097 reviews on Amazon, 70% of which are 5 star, I had high expectations for The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. Plus, the book was sent to me by a new friend with a note about how this book impacted his life deeply. It was a have-to-read.

“…tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago’s journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams…”

As with the recently reviewed The Four Agreements, there were parts of the story that annoyed me, that I couldn’t latch on to as concepts. Here are some that I could.

The boy, our hero in this story, is faced with a crisis at the hands of a man who took advantage of him. He is on the edge of feeling that all hope is lost.

“I’m like everyone else — I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.”

Later, the boy is talking to a Muslim merchant with whom he has taken a job, and the merchant was explaining why he had not yet fulfilled his final obligation to Allah by traveling to the Mecca. He explains it’s the thought of it, the dream, that keeps him alive.

“That’s what helps me face these days that are all the same….I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living……..But I’m afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it.”

At yet another crossroads, the boy decides to recommit to his earlier decision.

“He still had some doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”

Our hero is on a quest, a mission.

“The closer one gets to realizing his Personal Legend, the more that Personal Legend becomes his true reason for being.”

Personal Legend, destiny, brings him full circle.

More coming soon….