The Alchemist

Hello everyone….I would love to share with you the book that has changed the lives of so many people including myself.

The Alchemist: a novel was first published in Brazil in 1988 and is the most famous work of author Paulo Coelho. It is a symbolic story that urges its readers to follow their dreams. This novel was translated into more than 50 languages.

Summary:
Santiago, a boy living in Andalusia, leads a common life of travel through his trade of shepherding and entertains thoughts of marrying a merchant's daughter. One day he has a dream telling him to go to the Egyptian pyramids, a destination pointed out to him by a child in-dream and apparently leading to treasure. He consults a gypsy to interpret his dream, who simply tells him to go to the Pyramids to find the loot and asks for a tenth of his future treasure instead of a fee for her services. He becomes discouraged by this advice, yet she assures him that the wisest men would agree with the simplicity of this special case. Melchizedek, the King of Salem, spontaneously appears to help motivate Santiago to fulfill his Personal Legend, or his soul's desire, which seems bound to be the treasure of his dream. To aid him lest he have trouble interpreting omens, he presents him with Urim and Thummim stones, used for divination. Santiago sells all of his possessions to fund his journey to Africa and travels there. When he arrives, however, a thief steals all of his money. Santiago spends the next year or so working at a crystal merchant's shop learning both Arabic and life lessons, then moves on. He meets an Englishman who says he is searching for an alchemist waiting at the Al-Fayoum oasis. They join forces on their common journey East and exchange ideas along the way. Once at the oasis, Santiago meets the love of his life, Fatima, while asking about the alchemist near a well. After preventing an attack on the oasis by reading omens, he is sent to the alchemist and continues his journey. When they are captured by a desert tribe, the boy finds out how to transform himself into the wind; the tribe becomes so impressed that they let the two go. The alchemist uses the philosopher's stone to turn lead into gold: he leaves some for both a monk and Santiago and takes the rest for himself. When Santiago finally reaches the Pyramids, he is attacked by the desert's inhabitants and has to admit that he is searching for a treasure there. One of them laughs and reveals that he once had a dream about finding treasure in the very church where Santiago first had the dream. Santiago then returns to the church and finds the treasure, thus realizing his dream.