Dreams of success, happiness, wealth, long life, health, or intelligence, whatever it may be, dreams affect the lives of many people. Some may live to fulfill their dreams, some live not realizing their dreams, and others hide their dreams in fear of failing in the end. People lay out excuses, whether it may be the problem with time, money, family, or work, these factors should not interfere with working to achieve your dreams. There is no doubt that it won’t be an easy process, there will be obstacles, and there will be challenges, how you overcome these things are up to you. Your reaction to these hardships could in fact make it or break it. This process of achieving your dreams is shown in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

Coelho’s novel was written to show the importance of dreams and having something to live for. In an interview with a magazine, Coelho explained, “The Alchemist is about -- well, it is a fable about the necessity we have to follow our dreams.” Coelho also added, “They will lose their jobs, they will start having problems, but it is the only choice because in any case, you have to pay a price for your dreams,” when he was asked about the problems that may evoke when people would start chasing their dreams. To Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist was written to show the self sacrifice that needed to be made to follow your dreams.
The Alchemist outlines the adventures of Santiago, as young shepherd, as he travels from his homeland in Spain to Egypt in search of a treasure that appears in his dreams. During this journey he meets many people such as a wise king, a merchant in fear to live out his dreams, his true love and the Alchemist. On the way to the pyramids, he comes across numerous difficulties and temptations but moves on undeterred to fulfill his dreams. Santiago must go on a journey alone, sacrificing his sheep, his love, and comfort of his homeland.

Coelho uses many symbols, as well as the boy’s self sacrifice to convey his purpose. These include the dreams of treasure, taken literally as a form of sleeping, and the desert, symbolizing the obstacles and problems people go through. The connection between the symbols and purpose were a very effective way of getting the message across. “In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage,” (pg. 93) the self – sacrifice made by Santiago is very evident in this quote. The journey in the desert was testing his patience and his limits. There are endless amounts of connections that could be made by the reader with this quote. In the pursuit of a dream, there are always tests of patience. The relation between Santiago’s and a person’s journey makes it effective for the reader to relate to, conveying the author’s message in the end.

The philosophical language used by the author in this novel made me dig deeper and analyze each sentence to understand the true meaning of the book, such as: “What's the world's greatest lie? It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us.” (pg 18) The hidden message behind this quote is not to let your life be controlled by fate. The philosophy contributed to making this novel much more interesting, having to look deeply into each word and finding a meaning behind each sentence kept me interested throughout the novel.

As I read on through the pages, I realised that the language got much more metaphorical as Santiago reached his most climatic obstacles. This was especially evident once the alchemy was introduced in the book. The topic of alchemy was completely new to me and at first it was hard to follow along with the connection between Santiago and the elements. Later, I was able to realise that it had symbolized the transformation Santiago had gone through in himself. However, I wonder if the theme of alchemy was necessary in the novel in terms of getting people to relate to it. Alchemy on its own isn’t a very popular topic and I feel that many other people would have trouble understanding the message behind the alchemy as well.

As for the ending, I was first very disappointed and shocked by the huge twist at the end, thinking that Santiago had wasted so much time and he had given up so much for nothing. However, I started to reflect back to the very beginning of the novel to the conversation the wise king had with Santiago. Then I remembered a certain quote: “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”(p23) Although Santiago did not receive the treasures that he had searched for, he obtained something much more valuable than simple wealth. He learned an important life lesson, realized his personal legend and met his true love. The universe was on his side during his journey and led him to a valuable lesson rather than materialistic wealth. Once I realized Coelho’s true intentions behind this ending, I was no longer able to criticize it.

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is most definitely a must read novel. It teaches you a very valuable lesson and helps you realise the true importance of dreams in life. This novel shows very strong connections between real life possibilities. Coelho’s persuasive yet subtle view on self sacrifice makes you think about your dreams and how far you would go to accomplish them. This novel made me realise that paying a price isn’t much for your dreams, especially when it can change your life forever.