The Alchemist is a book by Paulo Coelho. This book is known for bringing a creative take on a stereotypical hero’s journey story. The main character is named Santiago, a young shepherd who travels the world with his sheep. He then has many strange dreams revolving around a hidden treasure. Long story short, he meets with an old king (he didn’t know the man was a king at the time) who tells him to follow his dreams. This scene is when the ideas of omens, personal legends, and a universal language are introduced. After the boy finishes talking to the old man, he sells his sheep and goes on his journey. At first, he didn’t want to leave his sheep. He’s had a strong connection with them, one that goes beyond words. However, he realized that his sheep were happy drifting around as long as they had water and were fed. This realization, and what the wise man said, made him want to start his personal legend.

In The Alchemist , a lot of terms are thrown around, and you must be wondering what they mean. A personal legend is something everyone has. It determines what your fate and purpose are. In the book, the soul of the world (the universe, pretty much) is what gives you this. The universal language is how people who speak different languages can understand each other just because they’re both humans. Many things in this book come from the idea of “oneness” or how everything is connected.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book, to be honest. I love the message and episodic nature of the book. However, I don’t like the way Coelho wrote some parts. Paulo Coelho is not afraid to drive home his point. Many times in the book, there is a long spiel about the soul of the world or whatnot. This strategy isn’t necessarily an ineffective way to drive home a point, but I’m used to books implying their messages or briefly stating them. I watched a video about this book, and it described The Alchemist as a fable, which it isn’t by definition. A fable is a book featuring animals that have a moral lesson. While this book doesn’t feature animals, it has a clear moral lesson.

Paulo Coelho wants people to follow their dreams because they owe it to themselves and others. Unfortunately, life and doubt often stop these dreams from happening. The book says that the universe will help you accomplish your goals and that you only have to meet them halfway. This book is interesting in that there’s fate and choice. People have the choice to accomplish their destinies and to persevere when life inevitably gets hard. I agree that people should attempt to reach their full potential because everyone benefits from individuals who’ve accomplished great things. Whitney Housten blessed everyone with her voice when she achieved her goal of being a singer. Everyone benefited when Steve Jobs created iPhones because they make our daily lives easy. Not all people will directly impact many people with their achievements, but they can still make the world a better place.

The Alchemist is a relatively short book, and perhaps that’s why Coelho belabored his point so much. But jokes aside, The Alchemist is definitely a book worth reading.