Title: The Alchemist

by Paulo Coelho

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: HarperCollins; Reissue edition (April 25, 2006)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0061122416

ISBN-13: 978-0061122415

If you have read my review of The Zahir, by the same author, you’ll know that I was meant to read this book first. Circumstances were such that I ended up reading this book second. Still, this was one book that seemed to be highly recommended by lots of other authors; for instance, there was a comment by Kenzaburo Oé, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Perhaps, it’s because I enjoyed The Zahir and had also heard so much about this author, I was expecting something more – something profound, new and exciting.

In my copy of the book, there is a plot summary provided, which reads as follows:

Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, has a dream about finding a treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. A gypsy woman and an old man claiming to be a mysterious king advise him to pursue it. “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation,” the old man tells him. “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

With the courage of an adventurer, Santiago sells his sheep and travels to Tangier in Africa. After a thief steals his money, Santiago takes a job with a crystal merchant who unwittingly teaches Santiago important lessons for his long journey ahead. After working at the crystal shop for a year, Santiago earns enough money to cover his losses and return home. But then something unexpected happens. On a desert caravan, Santiago meets and intriguing Englishman. The Englishman’s passions for knowledge and his relentless quest to uncover the secrets of the alchemy inspire Santiago to pursue his own dream of finding the treasure. As the Englishman searches for the two-hundred-year-old alchemist who resides in the desert oasis, Santiago falls in love with a young woman, Fatima. Exposed to the greatest and eternal alchemy of all – love – Santiago thinks he has found the treasure. But the greatest test of all is yet to come. With the help of the alchemist, Santiago completes the last leg of his journey – dangerous and infused with discoveries of the most profound kind – to find that the treasure he was looking for was waiting for him in the place where he least expected.

This story, timeless and entertaining, exotic yet simple, breaks down the journey we all take to find the most meaningful treasures in our lives into steps that are at once natural and magical. It is about the faith, power, and courage we all have within us to pursue the intricate path of a Personal Legend, a path chartered by the mysterious magnet of destiny but obscured by distractions. Santiago shows how along the way we learnt to trust our hearts, read the seemingly inconspicuous signs, and understand that as we look to fulfill a dream, it looks to find us just the same, if we let it.

The Alchemist can be read in one sitting. The language is not flowery and the message is simple – if you have a dream, pursue it. I enjoyed reading about the desert, the ways of the people there and their pursuits. However, I was not overly impressed with the depth of the tale. While most of the elements of storytelling were there, I found it hard to be spellbound by the tale.

I decided to read it from the beginnig. In the Introduction, the author says this:  

What is a personal calling? It is God’s blessing, it is the path that God chose for you here on Earth. Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don’t all have the courage to confront our own dream.

Why?

There are four obstacles: First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. … If we have the courage to disinter dream, we are then faced by the second obstacle: love. We know what we want to do, but are afraid of hurting those around us by abandoning everything in order to pursue our dream. …Once we have accepted that love is a stimulus, we come up against the third obstacle: fear of the defeats we will meet on the path. … Then comes the fourth obstacle: the fear of realizing the dream for which we fought all our lives.

… But if you believe yourself worthy of the thing you fought so hard to get, then you become an instrument of God, you help the Soul of the World, and you understand why you are here.

Only after reading this did I comprehend that maybe, the author's intention was to explain, in story form, his philosophy. If that was his intention, then I would say that he has has been successful in weaving these beliefs in his story.
 

This is a book that I would recommend to busy people – people who say, “But, I don’t have the time to read.” It is a book I would offer to someone who is looking for what his purpose on earth is, one who is searching for the meaning of life. I would not, I think, recommend it for someone who wants to be moved by the beauty of language. I enjoyed The Alchemist, yes, but I think it will be a long time before I read it again.

14 February 2008

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