As human beings, our powers are limited. Life has rules we must abide by. Another name for them is “the cycle of life.” As we experience these rules, we inevitably ask important questions. What is my purpose in life? Why was I born? With our limited time on this planet, we do everything we can to make the world remember our presence. Some leave the world having found and fulfilled their purpose, while others depart without leaving a trace. One task that the cycle of life consistently fulfills is replacing the previous generation with new ones. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho relates the life of Santiago, a shepherd boy who tries to fulfill his Personal Legend or obligation in life. Under the assumption that he is fated to be King of Salem, Santiago follows his recurrent dream and God’s omens to the Egyptian Pyramids in the search of a treasure. 

In order to arrive at the Pyramids, Santiago has to travel from Andalusia, his hometown in Southern Spain, across the Sahara desert. No one believes he is capable of such a journey. Arriving first in Tangier, a port in Africa, all of his money, which he earned by selling his sheep, is stolen. Feeling vanquished, Santiago decides to put off his search for the treasure and work at a crystal shop for nearly a year. There, he learns from the delicacy of the crystals and becomes fluent in Arabic, which renders him more apprised of his Personal Legend. Santiago proceeds to the next phase of his journey with a caravan of travelers with whom he shares a similar desire to cross the Sahara desert. During the journey, he learns from the tranquility and the vastness of the desert. He encounters an Englishman who has immersed himself in  the study of alchemy, hoping to meet the Alchemist and unveil the secret of turning lead into gold. Inaugurated by tribal wars in the desert, the travelers are obliged to rest at an Oasis called El Fayoum until the wars are over. At El Fayoum, Santiago meets Fatima, the love of his life, and the Alchemist, who guides him through the last section of his journey to the Pyramids. At this point, Santiago has learned the Language of the World, with which he is able to communicate with the desert, the wind, the sun, and, most importantly, his heart. Outfitted with knowledge, he arrives at the Egyptian Pyramids. As he digs for the treasure, he is targeted by a group of thieves. Santiago explains to them that he is looking for a treasure that has appeared many times in his dreams. One of the thieves ridicules Santiago and adds that he too has had a recurrent dream. The thief explains that he has long dreamt of a treasure buried under a sycamore tree near an abandoned church, but that he has not been foolish enough to cross an entire desert just for a dream. Santiago smiles and realizes that the treasure has been with him all along. After returning to Andalusia, Santiago finds a chest of gold coins and jewels near the roots of the Sycamore tree that he once sheltered under before he encountered the King of Salem. 

Out of many prominent themes presented in The Alchemist - fate, love, religion, dream - two are most distinguished: the idea of a Personal Legend and the notion that people are too afraid to realize their true selves: “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation” (Coelho 21). With that remark, people in The Alchemist are placed into three categories: those who do not realize their Personal Legend, those who realize but fear to pursue it, and those who succeed in pursuing it. It is believed that everyone on this planet has their Personal Legend, and God’s omens guide people to achieve it. Nonetheless, when people, like the thieves at the end of the story, ignore these omens, they become weaker and weaker. Eventually, they are entirely diminished. They leave the world as if they had never existed. The other kind of people discern their Personal Legend but fear to pursue it. For instance, the crystal merchant for whom Santiago worked realizes that he is bound to fulfill a pilgrimage to Mecca; however, his fear of change causes him to disregard his Personal Legend. Others may fear for various reasons. For instance, one fears that one would not succeed in one’s pursuit of Personal Legend, despite recognizing its existence. The novel’s metaphysical position aligns with its ethical claim, both of which are contained in the following line:  “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (Coelho 22). Fear prevents people from understanding this double truth. The last category of people are those who succeed in achieving their Personal Legend. Starting with Beginners’ Luck, those who start their pursuits find it a rather easy journey at first. Then, when hardship strikes, people begin losing faith. In the end, it is those who push through the obstacles--with support from God and His passengers, like the King of Salem--who fulfill their obligations in life. Before Santiago’s journey commences, the King of Salem gifts him Urim and Thummim, two black and white fortune-telling stones that aid his decision-making. One stone represents “yes” and the other “no.” Despite this gift, Santiago uses them only at Tangier when his money is stolen. So why does the King of Salem bequeath them to Santiago if they are of no use? When Santiago is on the brink of giving up his pursuit of the treasure, the stones inspire Santiago to continue. In this sense, they symbolize the support given to every pursuer of Personal Legend.

Some people’s Personal Legend is as simple as selling candies at a port. For others, it is to find a treasure. Some take a year to fulfill their Personal Legend, while others take a lifetime. We were all born on this planet for a unique purpose, big or small, ambitious or not. Out of the three types of people, you have the power to decide which you want to leave the world as. If you are looking for your purpose in life, The Alchemist will inspire you in many ways. The story not only contains various references to the Bible and the Egyptian myths, but it is also written in a way that provokes readers to think for themselves rather than bluntly revealing the universal schemes.