The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: summary, analysis and teachings of the book

The Alchemist is a book written by Brazilian Paulo Coelho and published in 1988. It is a symbolic work that, according to the author, is the only language that can help us reach the 'Soul of the world', or as the psychologist Carl Jung called the 'collective unconscious'.

This work deals with the theme of dreams and destiny through the gaze of Santiago, a shepherd who undertakes a journey into his "Personal Legend", which has inspired millions of people to pursue his dreams

The book The Alchemist It has been a great success all over the world and has been translated into 80 languages, and published in more than 170 countries, but what does this novel have? What topics does it cover? What lessons can be drawn from it?

Let's get to know the book through a summary, an analysis and the lessons that its reading leaves behind.

Summary of the book The Alchemist

The Alchemist recounts the journey of the pastor Santiago in search of a treasure that had been revealed to him through a repetitive dream that showed him a treasure near the pyramids of Egypt.

Santiago turns to a gypsy woman to interpret his dream but, despite the fact that she recommends following the dream, the protagonist ignores her and buys a great book to read.

While Santiago rests, the King of Salem, who at first does not reveal his identity, explains that he says that we all have a "personal legend." The king then presents him with two divination stones for alchemists named Urim and Thummim.

Santiago sells everything and begins his journey, from Andalusia to the pyramids of Egypt. At the beginning of his adventure, he is robbed and therefore asks a merchant to give him food and a bed. In return, he is in charge of cleaning the windows.

Santiago stays a year in this place where he learns Arabic, his culture and about Islam. Later, the protagonist continues his journey. Soon, he meets an Englishman who is looking for the alchemist and asks for his help. Santiago agrees to help him and meets Fatima, a woman he falls in love with.

Later, observing the flight of some hawks, he has a vision of an army with swords entering the oasis where they were.

The alchemist is the knight who defends the oasis and, knowing that it was Santiago who read the sign of the hawks' fight, he accompanies him on his journey to the treasure. Along the way, Santiago learns about alchemy.

Later, several events take place, among them a kidnapping and the arrival at a monastery where Santiago begins his path again only towards his ‘personal legend’. His heart tells her that when he got to the right place he would cry and, where the tears fell, he would find the treasure.

In the place where Santiago cries, he has a treasure, but it is stolen by thieves from the desert. Santiago explains that he does not know if there are more treasures but that this one appeared in his dreams repeatedly.

The chief thief laughs at him and tells him that he too has had dreams that revealed a treasure buried in a ruined church in Spain, inside the sacristy.

Finally, the protagonist finds the treasure in that place described by the thief and, later, goes in search of Fatima.

Analysis

The Alchemist, written in the third person, presents a narrative structure that coincides with the protagonist's journey. He starts at the starting point of Santiago, Andalusia, all the way to Egypt. The Epilogue reveals a circular tale when he returns Santiago to the starting point.

The protagonist's journey serves as an excuse to invite the reader to achieve his goals and his dreams, to overcome adversity. Also, the book addresses different topics, let's see:

The Personal Legend

The Alchemist repeatedly alludes to the fulfillment of the "Personal Legend", a concept invented by the author of the book to refer to the role that each person must fulfill on Earth that will enable them to find the harmony. In the words of Melchizedek, the King of Salem, "everyone knows what their Personal Legend is since childhood." Although, over time, "a mysterious force tries to convince us that it is impossible to fulfill the Personal Legend."

Dreams

The subject of dreams is relevant in that book. On the one hand, the dreams as images that Santiago has while he sleeps, whose interpretation serves as a means to continue his journey.

On the other hand, dreams refer to the goals or objectives that we want to achieve, that which produces growth, change and evolution.

It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes this life interesting.

Destiny

Along with dreams, this is another fundamental theme in this book. At first, the protagonist's destination is the Pyramids of Egypt, where the treasure is.

But, in reality, her adventure is an initiatory journey towards her personal development.

Santiago discovers a treasure much more valuable than the material, for which he began his journey, he manages to discover himself. To do this, he learns to interpret the signals, faces different obstacles and puts himself to the test. Thus he manages to realize his Personal Legend whose fulfillment is, in reality, his destiny.

Love

In the book he makes several references to love. On the one hand, love understood as a means to achieve our Personal Legend, which awakens our desires to be better and better. The transformative element that occurs within us.

When we love we do not have the need to understand what happens, because everything happens within us, and men can transform into winds ...

On the other hand, the love story between Santiago and Fatima that does not pose an obstacle to the personal fulfillment of the protagonist. A love that proves to be true, since it does not make the protagonist decide between love and achieve his Personal Legend. This story shows that love and Personal Legend are not incompatible.

Love never prevents a man from following his Personal Legend. When this happens, it is because it was not true Love, the one who speaks the Language of the World.

Life teachings from the book The Alchemist

The writer Paulo Coelho (1947) describes in the foreword to the book The Alchemist that he studied alchemy for 11 years of his life and, seeing that he did not understand the symbolic language, imposed a spiritual exile for himself.

In this adventure he learned things that taught him to return to alchemy and write a book like this, loaded with great lessons. Here are 10 teachings from this book:

1. Fear is a bigger obstacle than the obstacle itself: fear is part of our basic emotions, it will always accompany us. We must know how to control it so that it does not become an obstacle that prevents us from achieving what we want and limits our decision-making power.
2. The truth or the true is lasting: when making decisions we will see that what is not destined to stay with us will be ephemeral.
3. Breaking monotony or unconscious habit: This book teaches us the importance of, at this point of monotony, “getting out of the comfort zone”. Breaking the unconscious habit is the only way forward.
4. Embrace the present: If we lose our present thinking about the past or the future, a non-existent time beyond our thought, we never enjoy the “now”.
5. Your success has a ripple effect: the growth, change and evolution that weave the fabric of reality means that each success we achieve has an impact on our entire environment. The alchemists show that when we become better than we are, we also achieve those changes in our environment.
6. Take decisions: Trust yourself. Self-confidence is an achievement that we must achieve to move forward. For this, it is important to understand that there are no good or bad decisions, but valuable ones for our personal enrichment.
7. Don't be realisticThe world's greatest achievements and innovations begin with a mind that ignores the impossible.
8. Do not give up: a phrase from The Alchemist says: "The secret of life is to fall 7 times and get up 8". The secret is never to give up in the face of adversity.
9. Focus on your journey: take advice from others but make sure he is aligned with your desires and passions.
10. He always acts: action is the only way to learn. Changes bring learning and are, after all, the only way to move forward to achieve our dreams.

Phrases from the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

• "When we have great treasures in front of us, we never recognize them."
• “Why should I listen to my heart? Because you will never be able to keep it quiet. And even if you pretend not to listen to what he tells you, he will be inside your chest always repeating what he thinks about life and the world ”.
• “If your heart is afraid, explain that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself and that no heart ever He suffered when he went in search of his dreams because every moment of search is a moment of encounter with God and with the eternity".
• "When you can't go back, we just have to worry about the best way forward."
• "Love will never separate a man from his personal legend."

Main characters

• Santiago: he is the protagonist of this story. He is of Andalusian origin and becomes a shepherd. His desire to see the world leads him on a journey in search of treasure. In his journey he faces different obstacles that lead him to achieve his personal Legend. He also falls in love with Fatima.
• Melchizedek: he is the king of Salem. He appears to Santiago in the plaza of Tarifa, where he encourages him to live his "Personal Legend" and gives him two stones: Ulim and Tumim.
• The Alchemist: he is a mysterious and powerful man who lives in Egypt whose role is to guide Santiago in the search for his Personal Legend.
• The trader: He is the man who gives Santiago a job, house and food in Tangier when he is robbed.
• English: he is the man Santiago meets during his journey through the desert. He wants to get started in alchemy and teaches Santiago about the practice.
• Fatima: she is the young woman that Santiago falls in love with. The protagonist, for a moment, wants to stay by her side. But this does not happen until he completes his journey.

About Paulo Coelho

He is a Brazilian writer, journalist, screenwriter and lyricist who was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. He is one of the most representative writers of contemporary literature and has achieved great successes worldwide. Among his works stand out The pilgrim of Compostela (Diary of a magician) Y The Alchemist, which established him as a successful writer.

In his career as a writer he has received numerous awards and decorations. The Crystal Award or the Gold Medal of Galicia stand out. He is also a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. Among his books are:

• Diary of a magician (The pilgrim), 1987
• The Alchemist, 1988
• On the banks of the River Piedra I sat and cried, 1994
• Eleven minutes, 2003
• The Witch of Portobello, 2006
• Aleph, 2010
• The spy, 2016
• Hippie, 2018