Summary and Analysis of The Alchemist: Based on the Book by Paulo Coehlo

by Worth Books

Overview

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Alchemist tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Paulo Coelho’s book.
 
Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.
 
This short summary and analysis of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho includes:
 

• Historical context
• Part-by-part summaries
• Analysis of the main characters
• Themes and symbols
• Important quotes
• Fascinating trivia
• Glossary of terms
• Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work

 
About The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho:
 
A beloved international bestseller, The Alchemist has enchanted and inspired readers for generations.
 
Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd, is content to spend his days tending his sheep, but when he begins having recurring dreams about finding treasure at the base of the Egyptian pyramids, he understands that he must leave the comforts of home to follow his heart and live his destiny. Along the way, he meets many people who help him in his journey and he learns to interpret the omens that guide him on his path to self-discovery.
 
Combining mysticism, legends, dreams, history, and adventure, The Alchemist is much more than a story about a man’s search for treasure—it is a fable about destiny, finding one’s path in life, and pursuing it wholeheartedly.
 
The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of fiction.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504043359
Publisher:	Worth Books
Publication date:	12/13/2016
Series:	Smart Summaries
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	30
File size:	2 MB

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Worth Books’ smart summaries get straight to the point and provide essential tools to help you be an informed reader in a busy world, whether you’re browsing for new discoveries, managing your to-read list for work or school, or simply deepening your knowledge. Available for fiction and nonfiction titles, these are the book summaries that are worth your time.
 

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Summary and Analysis of The Alchemist

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By Paulo Coelho

OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA

Copyright © 2016 Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5040-4335-9

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CHAPTER 1

Summary

Prologue

An alchemist picks up a book and begins reading. It tells the Greek myth of Narcissus who, infatuated with his own beautiful image reflected in the waters of a lake, falls in and drowns. A flower grows in the place where he fell.

Unlike the traditional myth, however, the book the alchemist has found continues the story. Forest goddesses visit the lake, the water of which has transformed into tears. When the goddesses ask the lake why it cries, they learn the lake weeps for Narcissus.

The goddesses erroneously infer from the lake's crying that it misses Narcissus's beauty. Instead, they learn that the lake did not know he was beautiful, but cry because it can no longer see its own beauty reflected in Narcissus's eyes. The prologue ends with the alchemist musing, "What a lovely story."

Part One

An Andalusian shepherd boy, Santiago, stops for the night with his flock of sheep at an abandoned church. A sycamore tree has grown in the sacristy, stretching up beyond the now-collapsed roof. As he does every night, Santiago uses a book as a pillow — he enjoys reading, and buying and selling books when he's ready for something new.

That night, he dreams the same dream from the week before; and once again, awakens before it ends. Instead of dwelling on the dream, he looks forward to reaching the town of Tarifa in four days' time where he will once again see the daughter of a merchant who buys his wool.

They had met the previous year when Santiago was at the merchant's shop to make a sale. Having noticed a book in his hands, she inquired about how he — a shepherd — became literate. He dodged the question, regaling the raven-haired beauty with stories of his travels.

Though once a seminary student with aspirations of becoming a priest, he gave up on his studies, with his father's blessing, in order to become a shepherd, thereby allowing him to roam the land. His feelings for the merchant's daughter, however, make him think it might be good to stay in one place — with her.

When Santiago arrives in town, he seeks counsel from a Gypsy fortune-teller, who he hopes will explain his recurring dream to him. In this dream, he meets a child who takes him by the hand and leads him to the Egyptian pyramids. It is here, the child tells him, that treasure awaits. But, both times, he wakes up before the child can show him the exact location.

The Gypsy woman offers to divulge the meaning of his dreams for ten percent of his treasure. Once he makes his promise, she tells Santiago he must pursue his dream, and go to Egypt to find the treasure. Somewhat frustrated with this literal interpretation, he resolves to, instead, find the merchant's daughter and ask her to marry him.

Later, after getting a new book in town and sitting down to eat, a mysterious man dressed in Arab garb appears. At first, he seems to be a nuisance, but it isn't long before he impresses Santiago with knowledge of the book he was reading. It contains, the old man says, the greatest lie ever told: A person cannot control his destiny. Santiago proudly asserts that, in choosing to become a shepherd, rather than a priest, he has already taken control of his own path.

Melchizedek, the King of Salem, describes the notion of a Personal Legend. Everyone has one, and everyone believes in it until they grow older and become distracted by life and weary of ever achieving their dreams. That is, after all, what the Personal Legend is: that which a person most wants to accomplish in life. He then tells Santiago that he worries for the boy's own Personal Legend, because Santiago is about toabandon his.

Santiago puzzles over his meeting with Melchizedek. As a gust of wind kicks up, Santiago is reminded of the freedom to roam the world, and he decides in that moment to pursue his Personal Legend.

The next day, he brings six of his sheep to Melchizedek, who speaks of "the language of omens" and Melchizedek, in turn, opens his cloak to reveal a gem-studded breastplate, from which he takes two stones, Urim and Thummim. These, Melchizedek says, are used for fortune-telling, but should not replace one's own decision-making. Santiago will follow this warning.

Having sold his remaining sheep to a friend, Santiago purchases a ticket to Tangier. Upon arrival, he realizes that he does not speak the language. Then a young man appears at the bar where Santiago sits alone. He speaks Spanish as well as Arabic. Santiago offers to pay the young man to serve as a guide to the pyramids. Shortly after he turns over his money, the guide — and Santiago's money — disappear.

Now penniless, with only his book and jacket to his name, Santiago resolves to continue his quest. He offers his services to a crystal merchant, whose hilltop business has declined over the years, and with it, his enthusiasm. Santiago is momentarily distraught by the idea that he'll have to work for years cleaning crystal pieces in order to earn enough money to reach the pyramids. He figures, at the very least, he can earn enough to buy some sheep and eventually make money that way.

Part Two

Over time, Santiago's marketing ideas — and the crystal merchant's reluctant trust in his young employee — return the business to its former glory, and beyond. Santiago has earned a considerable amount of money in the process, and plans to purchase sheep.

While packing to leave the crystal merchant, Santiago comes across the stones given to him by the King of Salem and thinks about how he and other people have helped him on his journey so far. He chooses to pursue his dream, which spurs him to find a caravan he can join to reach the pyramids of Egypt.

Among the members of the caravan is an Englishman who, Santiago learns, wants to learn the universal language of the world. After studying for years at university, he is now in search of a 200-year-old alchemist who can teach him how to produce gold from metal. Santiago, in turn, explains that he, too, is in search of treasure. Unimpressed, the Englishman returns to his books.

During their trek across the desert, Santiago also befriends a camel driver. Despite the fact that the man has lost his successful orchard in a flood, he is happy. Having made the pilgrimage to Mecca, the devout Muslim now devotes his life to serving God through the omens he discerns. Santiago is impressed by the man's commitment to living in the present, and tucks this bit of wisdom away in his thoughts.

Warned by passing Bedouins about thieves and tribal wars, the caravan makes its way to Al-Fayoum, an oasis nearly halfway to Santiago's destination. There, like other oases in the desert, people are protected; the oasis is considered neutral territory. Fighting in areas surrounding the oasis, however, will keep the caravan stationary for some time.

During his stay, Santiago helps the Englishman look for the alchemist. At one point, he stops to ask a young woman about the mysterious man, and immediately feels the Soul of the World. By this, he understands the universal language is love, and Fatima, the young woman, expresses that love perfectly. They meet frequently, and he tells her about his Personal Legend. Eventually, she tells him that she has learned from him about omens, and that his legend is maktub; it is written, and he must pursue it.

Instead, Santiago decides he wants to remain with Fatima in the desert, that she is enough treasure for him. But when he observes two hawks in the sky attacking each other, he has a vision of an army invading the oasis. He tells the camel driver, who insists he also alert the tribal chieftains. They are suspicious of a desert novice who claims to understand what the desert has to say. Finally an elder tells Santiago that if he is wrong, he will be killed.

The marauders do arrive, but because the oasis was prepared, everyone survives. Santiago does not want to leave Fatima, but she insists that he must fulfill his destiny. She will wait for him.

Meanwhile, the alchemist has taken note of Santiago and approaches him dramatically on horseback. After passing a test of courage, in which Santiago demonstrates his ability to find life in the desert — another omen — the shepherd and the alchemist take leave of Al-Fayoum.

Along their journey, the two travelers are captured by a group of warriors. The alchemist gives the chief all of Santiago's money, and tells him that the boy is an alchemist who can destroy them by becoming a devastating wind within three days. The tribesmen scoff at the idea, but threaten to kill Santiago if he doesn't follow through with it.

Performing a sort of elemental alchemy with the wind, the sun, and heaven, Santiago convinces the tribesmen that he has become the wind: a great windstorm rises, and Santiago "reached through to the Soul of the World," and could perform miracles.

The shepherd and the alchemist are released and continue their journey. Before reaching the pyramids, they stop at a monastery where the alchemist produces a gold disk, portions of which he gives to a kindly monk and Santiago. Then, they part ways.

Santiago listens to his heart as he travels alone, and is brought to tears at the sight of the pyramids visible in the moonlight, and by his gratitude to God for "making him believe in his Personal Legend." In the sand, he spies a scarab beetle, and recognizes it to be an omen — a symbol of God. There, he digs all night for the treasure.

Soon after, two tribal warriors arrive steal the portion of the gold disk he carried, and, believing he is digging for more, force him to continue. When nothing appears, they severely beat him. Suffering greatly, Santiago tells them he dreamt of treasure. Thinking he is insane, they leave Santiago — but not before one of them says that he too had a dream about a treasure. In the robber's dream, it was buried at the roots of a sycamore tree growing in the ruins of a church, but he wasn't stupid enough to search for it.

Epilogue

Having returned to Spain, Santiago digs near the tree in the old church. There, he finds a chest full of treasure. To it, he adds his precious Urim and Thummim.

In the end, Santiago knows he has fulfilled his Personal Legend — not because he found the chest, which was in his own backyard, but because he followed his dream and traveled farther than he, a simple shepherd, thought possible.

When the levanter wind next blows in from Africa, it bears a kiss from his true love — his destiny — Fatima, to whom he will return.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Summary and Analysis of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Copyright © 2016 Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of OPEN ROAD INTEGRATED MEDIA.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Context,
Overview,
Cast of Characters,
Summary,
Character Analysis,
Themes and Symbols,
Direct Quotes and Analysis,
Trivia,
What's That Word?,
Critical Response,
About Paulo Coelho,
For Your Information,
Bibliography,
Copyright,