The Alchemist
(Paulo Coelho)

Prologue

The book begins when the alchemist picks up a book left behind by another member of the caravan. In the book is the legend of Narcissus—a young man so obsessed with his own beauty that he stared into the lake every day to contemplate his beauty. One day Narcissus fell into the lake and drowned. In the book the alchemist picks up, however, the story has a different ending: after Narcissus dies, the goddesses of the forest appear at the lake, which has transformed into a lake of saltwater tears. The goddesses ask the lake why he weeps. The lake replies that he weeps for Narcissus; the goddesses assume that this is because the lake alone could contemplate Narcissus’s beauty every day. After a long time, the lake replies that he weeps, not because of the loss of Narcissus’s beauty but because each time Narcissus knelt by the banks, the lake saw his own beauty reflected. The alchemist thinks that this is a lovely story.

Part I (Sections 1 – 7)

Part I begins with a shepherd boy named Santiago who decides to spend the night in an abandoned church in the Andalusian countryside of Spain. The church has a sycamore tree growing through it. Santiago wakes early the next morning, noting that he has had the same dream he dreamt the previous week. Santiago thinks about how in the past two years he has grown accustomed to the schedule of his sheep.

Being a shepherd can be a lonely life so sometimes Santiago talks to his sheep. Lately, all he has been telling them is about a merchant girl who lives in the village Santiago will reach in around four days. Santiago visited the same village a year before to sell wool to a merchant. As the shepherd waited for the merchant to come out, the merchant’s daughter sat with him on the steps. The girl was beautiful with dark hair and Moorish eyes. She was impressed that Santiago could read and traveled so much. Over the past year, Santiago has not been able to stop thinking about this girl.

As Santiago approaches the village he thinks about his sheep. All they ever worry about is food and water, and they trust Santiago so fully that even if he started to kill them one by one they would hardly notice. Santiago is surprised at his own thoughts and thinks maybe the sycamore in the church where he slept was cursed. He decides to stop in a town on the way where he knows there is a woman who interprets dreams. The boy has been traveling in Andalusia for two years now. He attended a seminary until he was sixteen but had wanted to see the world since he was a child. Finally, he convinced his father to let him be a shepherd so that he could travel from place to place.

The boy arrives in the town and goes to the old gypsy woman’s house. She starts to read Santiago’s palms but this makes him nervous so he asks her to just focus on his recurring dream. The old woman says that dreams are a way for god to communicate with us. Some dreams speak our language, but some speak the language of the soul. Santiago explains his dream: there is a child playing with his sheep for a while. Suddenly the child takes Santiago by both hands and transports him to the Egyptian pyramids. At the pyramid, the child says there is a hidden treasure. But just as the child is about to reveal the exact location, Santiago always wakes up. Santiago has no money to pay for the gypsy woman’s interpretation so she makes him swear to her he will give her one tenth of the treasure when he finds it. Santiago agrees. The woman tells Santiago her interpretation, which is merely that he should go to Egypt where he will find a treasure.

Santiago leaves the gypsy woman disappointed and vows never to believe in dreams again. He goes to the plaza to start reading a new book but is interrupted by an old man who keeps trying to strike up a conversation. The man tells Santiago that his book is paramount but irritating. It talks about people’s inability to choose their own Personal Legends. It also says everyone believes the world’s greatest lie, which according to the old man is that, at a certain point in our lives, we lose control and give our lives up to fate.

The man tells Santiago that his name is Melchizedek and that he is the king of Salem. He then asks Santiago to give up one tenth of his sheep. In return, Melchizedek will tell Santiago how to find the hidden treasure. Santiago remembers his dream, but before he can respond the old man starts writing in the sand. He writes things about Santiago’s life that he could not possibly have known and that Santiago has never told anyone. The king tells Santiago that he has succeeded in discovering his Personal Legend, which is the thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish. The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness but also by unhappiness and jealousy. To realize your destiny is a person’s only real obligation in the world. The man says he will come back to the plaza the next day to claim one tenth of Santiago’s sheep and tell him about the treasure.

Part I (Sections 8 -12)

When the old man leaves Santiago tries to read his book again but finds he can no longer concentrate. Instead, he decides to take a walk through the whole city and realizes that he truly wants to enter the unknown to seek gold and adventure. Santiago ends up at his friend’s stable where his friend agrees to buy Santiago’s sheep from him. The next day Santiago meets the old man at noon, bringing him the one tenth of Santiago’s flock that he did not sell. He tells the old man about what good fortune it was that someone was willing to buy his sheep. The old man tells Santiago that he is experiencing the principle of favorability, or beginner’s luck.

After the sheep are exchanged the old man tells Santiago that he can find his treasure in Egypt, near the Pyramids. According to the man, God has created a path for everyone to follow. In order to find his treasure, Santiago will have to follow the omens. The old man opens his cape, showing a breastplate made of gold and jewels. The man takes two of the stones out of his breastplate and gives them to Santiago. He explains that the black stone is called Urim and signifies ‘yes,’ while the white stone is called Thummim and signifies ‘no.’ The man tells Santiago that these stones will guide him but that Santiago should try to make his own decisions whenever possible. Melchizedek tells Santiago an anecdote about a boy visiting a wise king in order to illustrate the point that the secret to happiness is to observe the beauty of the world around you but also be cognizant of your responsibilities and personal treasures. Later, Melchizedek sits atop a fort at the highest point of Tarifa watching a ship leave the port. He thinks about how he will likely never see the boy again and how Santiago will likely forget his name. Although gods are not supposed to have desires because they don’t have Personal Legends, he hopes the boy will be successful.

Santiago arrives in Tangier by boat and goes to a small bar. He speaks no Arabic but manages to order some tea. An Arab dressed in Western clothing approaches Santiago and speaks to him in Spanish. The young man finds out Santiago is trying to get to Egypt and offers to be his guide. Santiago follows the man into the market but ends up getting tricked. The man is a thief and steals all of Santiago’s money from selling his sheep. Santiago feels so ashamed and sorry for himself that he cries in the market. The boy remembers the stones the old man gave him—Urim and Thummim. He asks the stones if he still has the old man’s blessing and pulls out the black stone that symbolizes yes. Next Santiago asks if he is going to find his treasure. He reaches into the pouch but then both stones fall out through a hole in the bottom. Santiago remembers what the old man said about omens and takes this as a sign that he needs to make his own decisions. He decides that even if he never makes it to the Pyramids he is meant to be an adventurer looking for treasure.

Santiago sleeps in the empty marketplace. He wakes the next morning as a boy with no money in a foreign country. He sees a candy seller who seems so content and happy with his work that Santiago is certain the candy seller has achieved his Personal Legend. The boy goes over to the man’s stall and receives some free candy. After, he realizes that he had spoken Spanish the whole time while the candy seller spoke Arabic, yet they were still able to communicate. From this Santiago realizes that there must be a universal language among people.

In Tarifa, there is a crystal merchant who has worked at the same shop at the top of a hill for 30 years. Business has been unlucky in the past few years because fewer people make the trek up to the top of the hill to see the shop. Santiago sees the shop and comes in, offering to dust off the crystal in the window in exchange for something to eat. The crystal merchant offers to let Santiago work in his shop in exchange for a commission on sold crystal.

Part II (Sections 1-7)

After working for the crystal merchant for about a month, Santiago realizes that this is the type of job that will never make him happy because the merchant is grumpy and difficult. Still, Santiago stays with the job to earn enough money to get back to Spain and re-buy his flock. He no longer dreams about going to Egypt to look for treasure. Wanting to increase sales and thus his commission, Santiago institutes a bunch of changes in the shop to drive up business. He creates a display case at the bottom of the hill and convinces the merchant to offer tea in crystal glasses for thirst customers. The changes are successful and soon Santiago is making many more sales.

One day the merchant asks Santiago why he had wanted to go see the Pyramids. Santiago says he wanted to see new places and travel. The merchant is silent for a few minutes. He then tells Santiago that the Koran lists five obligations that a Muslim must satisfy in his lifetime. The last of these obligations is to make pilgrimage to the city of Mecca. The merchant has dreamed of going to Mecca for years and years but has never realized his dream. He is afraid that once he goes to Mecca he will have nothing else to live for. This is the difference between Santiago and the merchant. Santiago wants to see his dreams of travel come true, while the merchant just wants to keep dreaming.

As the shop gets more successful, the merchant tells Santiago that the change is too much for him. Even though the merchant was depressed before Santiago’s arrival, he had gotten used to the way things were. Santiago is making the merchant think about wealth and possibilities he never previously imagined, and this too is a curse in a way. After a while, the merchant says the Arabic word maktub. By this time, Santiago has learned Arabic, but this is a word he doesn’t know. When Santiago asks what the word means, the merchant says that it is difficult to explain, but, in Santiago’s language, it means something like ‘it is written.’

Eleven months after he first set foot in Africa, Santiago wakes before dawn and leaves his home with all his money and possessions. He has finally raised enough money to buy his sheep back. Santiago says goodbye to the merchant and asks for his blessing. The merchant says he is proud of Santiago but that he thinks Santiago will change his mind and go to the Pyramids after all because it is maktub. Santiago thinks back to what the old king told him about beginner’s luck: that when you truly want something the universe conspires to help you achieve it. He realizes that he can always go back to being a shepherd, but maybe he’ll never have another chance to go see the Pyramids.

An Englishman is sitting on a bench in a warehouse in Tangier. He believes in omens and studies alchemy. He has already spent much of his fortune seeking the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life, legendary formulas that make you immortal. He has heard of an alchemist who lives in the Al-Fayoum oasis in the Sahara desert who is said to be 200 years old. The Englishman hopes that this man will help him with his alchemy. As the Englishman sits Santiago comes into the warehouse with baggage saying that he is also bound for the desert. The Englishman keeps to himself until he sees Santiago take out Urim and Thummim. He tells Santiago that he learned about Urim and Thummim and omens in the bible. Both men join a caravan headed toward the oasis.

Part II (sections 8-15)

Almost 200 people are gathered to join the caravan. The leader of the caravan tells everyone that he is a Muslim and thus prays to Allah but that everyone should swear to their respective God that they will follow orders in the caravan because in the desert disobedience means death. The caravan sets out and passes through various desert climates. As they continue to travel they begin to see mysterious hooded men. Santiago learns that these men are Bedouins who do surveillance on the caravans. The Englishman says there are rumors of tribal wars in the desert. One night the Englishman and Santiago take a walk through the dunes at night. The Englishman tells Santiago the story of his life and about his interest in alchemy. The two discover that they both believe in the soul of the world and the idea of omens.

The Englishman lends Santiago some books from which he learns about the Emerald Tablet, a precious stone on which all the most influential literature of alchemy is written. The books also talk about a liquid called the elixir of life that cures all illnesses and the philosopher’s stone, which makes a person immortal. As the caravan continues the hooded Bedouins become more common, and the threat of war comes closer. Santiago befriends a camel driver who tells him that he is not afraid because he lives in the present and doesn’t focus too much on the future or past. This is how he is able to find happiness in his life. The caravan eventually reaches a vast oasis without being attacked. The oasis is considered a neutral territory because so many women and children live there. No weapons are allowed inside. The caravan members are welcomed as guests and may stay there for protection through the war.

The Englishman enlists Santiago’s help in searching for the alchemist of Al-Fayoum Oasis. They go to a well and ask several people where they might find such a man. None of the people are immensely helpful, and most steer clear of the two visitors. They frown on sorcery and don’t want to answer any questions. Finally, a young woman comes to the well. When she approaches Santiago feels the Soul of the World surge through him. It is love at first sight and Santiago is certain that this is the only woman he will ever need in his life. Santiago approaches the girl, and she tells him that her name is Fatima. Fatima tells the Englishman where to find the alchemist, whom she says communicates with the genies of the desert.

The next day the Englishman tells Santiago that he waited all afternoon and evening for the alchemist to give him guidance on turning lead to gold, but the alchemist’s only advice was to ‘go and try.’ Santiago goes back to the well and tells Fatima that he loves her. He continues to go to the well every day to meet with her and tell her stories about his journeys. One day about a month after Santiago’s arrival at the oasis, Fatima tells Santiago that even though there is a tribal war she wants him to go on and continue to follow his Personal Legend. Santiago does not want to leave Fatima—he tells her that she is the only treasure that matters to him now. But Fatima is insistent. She claims that the women of the desert know how to let their men go. She knows Santiago will come back after he has achieved his destiny, and even if he doesn’t, she will learn to live with it because she has a love without ownership.

Santiago goes to find the Englishman, who is busy working on his alchemy. Then Santiago goes to sit by himself and grapple with his thoughts on love, possession, and destiny. As Santiago sits he watches the hawks in the sky. Suddenly one of the hawks makes a flash dive and Santiago has a vision of an army riding into the oasis. Santiago thinks of Fatima and is terrified for her safety. He has already learned to believe in the power of omens. He goes to the camel driver for guidance. The camel driver tells him that God only reveals the future when it is a future that can be altered. And so, Santiago decides to see the tribal chieftains to tell them about his vision.

Part II (Sections 16-22)

The boy approaches the chieftains’ tent and is allowed inside. He tells the chieftains of what he has seen, but they are skeptical of his vision. The chieftains do not believe that their enemy would attack a neutral territory because it would be breaking the Tradition. They also distrust Santiago because he is a stranger in their land. Still, the head chieftain says that the Tradition teaches them to follow the messages of the dessert. He compares Santiago to Joseph, a man who also interpreted dreams in a strange land. The elder tells Santiago that the men will carry weapons for the next day. If enemies attack, Santiago will be rewarded with gold. But if no one comes, Santiago will pay with his life.

Santiago leaves the tent paralyzed by fear, but then he remembers what the camel driver told him about living in the present. He tells himself that today is as legitimate a day to die as any other and that at least he will have died in pursuit of his Personal Legend. As Santiago walks a strange horseman with a turban that covers his entire face except for his eyes approaches him. The man takes out his sword and asks Santiago why he dared to read the flight of the birds and challenge the future. Santiago says that he only saw what was shown to him and that he is in pursuit of his Personal Legend. The man puts away the sword, saying he had to test Santiago’s courage. The rider is the famous alchemist the Englishman was after. He tells Santiago that if the enemies come and he is not killed, he should come seek the alchemist at his home.

The next morning, the enemy tribe arrived just as Santiago had predicted. Thanks to his forewarning, the people of the oasis were able to protect themselves, and the tribal chieftain rewarded the boy with fifty pieces of gold. After dark Santiago found the alchemist in his home. The alchemist has a talk with Santiago about his Personal Legend. Santiago explains that he doesn’t want to leave because of Fatima. The alchemist tells Santiago he must find his treasure so that everything he’s learned thus far will make sense. He instructs Santiago to trade his camel for a horse, which is a more reliable animal to travel through the desert with.

The next night Santiago returns to the alchemist. The two ride out and the alchemist tells Santiago to find life in the desert. Santiago does not know the ways of the desert, but he rides out until his horse slows. The two riders stop at a hole in the ground. The alchemist sticks his hand in and pulls out a giant cobra by its tail. The alchemist draws a circle in the sand with his scimitar and throws the snake inside, telling Santiago that the creature won’t leave the circle. He then says that he wants to take on Santiago as a disciple and guide him through the desert. He says that if Santiago decides to stay, the omens will keep nagging at him for years making him question what would have happened if he proceeded with his journey. He will never be happy unless he pursues his destiny before it is too late.

The next morning before dawn Santiago goes to Fatima to say goodbye. The two embrace and commit to always remember each other and their love for as long as they are separated. Santiago rides into the desert with the alchemist. He is sad, and his heart aches for Fatima, but the alchemist tells him not to think about what he is leaving behind. As they travel the alchemist tells Santiago more about alchemy, the Emerald Tablet, and the Soul of the World. He tells Santiago to listen to his heart in order to better understand the desert. Santiago tries to listen to his heart but finds it difficult because his heart is agitated and betrays him. But the more he listens the more he becomes in tune with his heart’s desires and fears. He comes to understand that hearts resist dreams because following dreams can sometimes make the heart suffer. The alchemist tells Santiago that even though most people experience beginner’s luck, the end of one’s journey is always the hardest because one’s heart is tried the most. The boy remembers an old proverb: the darkest hour of the night is always right before the dawn.

Part II (Sections 23- 32)

The next day three armed tribesmen approach Santiago and the alchemist. They search the travelers’ bags and the alchemist offers the men Santiago’s gold from the chieftain in exchange for being allowed to continue their journey. When the men leave the alchemist says he gave away the money to show Santiago that his greatest treasures are within him. He also says that Santiago is quite lucky because it is not often that you can save your life with money. As the two continue onward Santiago continues to listen to and converse with his heart. His heart warns him of the danger of the desert, and the alchemist says that Santiago must always trust his heart.

As the sun sets Santiago’s heart sends him a warning. He sees horsemen approaching in the distance until he and the alchemist are surrounded by hundreds of tribal warriors. The tribesmen take Santiago and the alchemist to a nearby military camp where one of the men accuses them of being spies. The alchemist tells the chief that Santiago has remarkable powers that help him to understand nature and the world. He says that Santiago has the ability to turn himself into the wind. This intrigues the chief, who decides to give Santiago three days to prove his power. If, after that time, Santiago has not performed the miracle, he will be sentenced to death.

Santiago is furious with the alchemist for saying such a thing to the chief and once again fearful for his life. But the alchemist tells him not to give into his fears. When Santiago says that he has no idea how to turn himself into the wind, the alchemist merely says that there is no better time to learn. Santiago spends the first two days listening to his heart. On the third day, he takes the tribal chiefs to a cliff away from the camp. He speaks with the desert, which tells him that love is the cycle of life. Next Santiago summons the wind. He asks the wind to teach him how to be the wind himself for just a few moments. The wind is intrigued by such a request. It starts blowing as hard as it can but doesn’t know how to turn a person into the wind. So the wind suggests Santiago ask heaven for that.

The wind brings Santiago to the sun. Santiago speaks with the sun about love and his Personal Legend. The sun tells Santiago that the soul of the world communicates with his soul. The sun offers warmth, and the soul of the world offers a reason for being. Santiago says that he too knows about the soul of the world and love, the force that transforms the soul of the world. Santiago asks again to be transformed into the wind and is directed to the hand that wrote all. The boy turns to the hand that wrote all and is overcome by love. He reaches through the soul of the world and sees that it is part of the soul of God, which is in turn a part of his own soul. From this Santiago learns he can perform miracles.

The wind blows harder than ever before, and Santiago ends up on the other side of camp. The men of the tribe are frightened by Santiago’s sorcery and decide to release the boy and the alchemist. The next day, the two travelers ride for the entire day until they reach a Coptic monastery. There a monk welcomes them. The alchemist uses the kitchen to turn lead into gold. He breaks the gold into four pieces: one for the boy, one for the alchemist, and one for the monk. The last piece he gives the monk to safeguard for Santiago in case he loses his fortune for a third time. The alchemist then tells Santiago that he is only three hours from the Pyramids and must continue the last leg of his journey alone.

Santiago rides alone through the desert until he reaches the top of a dune and sees the Pyramids for the first time. He is overcome by joy at having at last reached the end of his journey. Santiago sees a scarab beetle scuttling through the sand and takes this as another omen. He begins to dig frantically into the dune, certain he will find his treasure beneath it. The boy finds nothing at first but keeps digging throughout the night. In the middle of the night, he hears footsteps and is surrounded by several hooded figures. The men are hungry refugees from the war. They steal Santiago’s piece of gold from his bag and guess that he is looking for more treasure buried there. They beat and kick Santiago, all the while forcing him to keep digging. When Santiago is exhausted and fatigued he screams out at them that he is digging for treasure. The men realize that there is not quite gold in the dune and laugh at him. One of the men calls the boy stupid for following his dream. The man says that he had a recurring dream once that there was gold waiting for him beneath a sycamore tree at an abandoned church, but he just ignored the dream. After the men leave Santiago stands up unsteadily, but his heart is full of joy. He now knows where his treasure is.

Epilogue

Santiago travels all the way back to Spain. He returns to the abandoned church where his journey began, only this time without his flock. He shouts at the sky to the alchemist, knowing that the old sorcerer knew all along what would happen. The alchemist had even planted extra gold with the Coptic monk so that Santiago might have money to return home after losing everything to thieves yet again. Santiago asks why the alchemist couldn’t have spared him from that. He hears a voice on the wind telling him that if the alchemist had told him where the treasure was, he never would have traveled and seen the Pyramids. Santiago smiles and begins to dig. An hour later he hits a chest of Spanish gold coins. He places Urim and Thummim in the chest as well, since those stones are also precious to him.

Santiago realizes that life truly is generous to those who follow their Personal Legends. He remembers the gypsy woman in Tarifa and plans to return to the village to pay the woman the one-tenth of his treasure that she is owed. The wind begins to blow again—wind from Africa. It brings the scent of a familiar perfume and the touch of a kiss. Santiago smiles and whispers to Fatima that he is coming for her.