In Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, a young shepherd boy goes on a journey after having a recurring dream about treasure at the Egyptian Pyramids. He comes across many hardships along the way, but he follows through with his goal and finds his treasure in the end. In the novel The Alchemist, Coelho conveys the importance of not only having dreams, but also actually pursuing them. Santiago’s trust in his mentors gives him the knowledge and ability to chase after his aspirations and fulfill his Personal Legend. King Melchizedek tells Santiago that the world’s greatest lie is “that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate” (18). Santiago could have disagreed with the king and believed in the ideas of his book, but instead he trusts King Melchizedek. By doing so, Santiago learns that he must struggle to meet his goals instead of sitting back and allowing fate to control his life. He realizes that he can’t stay in his comfort zone of books and sheep, and must go out and explore the world. When the stranger in Tangier asks him if he has enough money to cross the Sahara desert, Santiago thinks that this is a strange question, but “he trusted in [King Melchizedek], who had said that, when you really want something, the universe always conspires in your favor” (36). Despite the fact that he lost all his money to the thief, Santiago’s trust in King Melchizedek taught him to be smarter and to view the world in terms of what actually happens, not what he would like to see happen. After this minor setback, Santiago becomes even more focused on fulfilling his Personal Legend, because he trusts that the universe will not allow him to fail. Similarly, The Alchemist offers guidance to help Santiago on his journey. When Santiago nearly decides to give up on his dream to stay with Fatima, The Alchemist reveals to him what will happen if he stops chasing after his goal. He tells Santiago that he will realize that he should have left to fulfill his Personal Legend “because what kept [him] at the oasis was [his] own fear that [he] might never come back. At that point, the omens will tell [him] that [his] treasure is buried forever” (19-20). By trusting The Alchemist’s prediction, Santiago understands that he must not give up on his dreams, or else he will regret doing so in the years to come. Santiago now knows exactly what the consequences will be if he does not persevere.
Coelho incorporates minor characters as foils to Santiago, which evokes a feeling of sadness for those who do not pursue their dreams. When Santiago’s father permits Santiago to become a shepherd, Santiago “could see in his father’s gaze a desire to be able, himself, to travel the world – a desire that was still alive, despite his father’s having had to bury it, over dozens of years” (9-10). At this moment, Santiago realizes that if he does not follow his dream of traveling, he will grow old with a burning desire and a knowledge that he lost his chance to carry out his dream, just like his father. Likewise, The Alchemist points out the ignored dreams of the baker in the plaza. He tells Santiago that “when he was a child, [the baker] wanted to travel, too. But he decided first to buy his bakery and put some money aside. He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of” (22-23). The audience feels sad for the baker, who would have been much happier with his life if he had been courageous enough to leave everything behind to pursue his dream. We recognize that we should listen to Coelho and fulfill our Personal Legend to avoid becoming like the baker. The character who has the greatest influence on Santiago is The Crystal Merchant. The Crystal Merchant tells Santiago that he does not want to chase his dream of going to Mecca because “[he’s] afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so [he] prefer[s] just to dream about it” (55). By working with The Crystal Merchant and witnessing his fear, Santiago sees what would happen if he did not fulfill his dream. The Crystal Merchant serves as a warning to Santiago and to the audience, showing us what will happen if we do not strive to meet our aspirations.