Santiago The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who sets out on a journey after leaving his sheep and country behind to find a treasure following a recurrent dream he experiences. While on his journey, Santiago meets some interesting characters that help him realize his true potential and what it means to truly follow your dreams. Throughout the book, Santiago learns that if you have a goal in life, the world will come together to help you achieve it. He also learns that a lot of the personal growth we experience as human beings comes from within. A person must follow their heart and instincts because if they don’t, they will only end up regretting it down the road. Coelho makes many of the concepts in this story
I think Santiago was the only multidimensional character. Coelho reveals a lot more about his life and personality than he does for the other characters. I would have liked to have known a little more about the alchemist, because I feel that he was the second most important character in the story. Coelho probably made all the other characters in the story flat as a way of demonstrating just how so many people whom we don’t really know can have a profound effect on our lives in such a short period of time. For example, Melchidezek is a relatively flat character, but he is the one who tells Santiago he must pursue his dream and find his treasure. After this exchange, Melchizedek is rarely mentioned in the story again. There isn’t a good balance of flat and multidimensional characters, but Coelho still does a great job with incorporating them into the
I feel Coelho did an amazing job with relating the characters and plot to the theme of this book. Aside from the fact that this book is very quotable, it is also very relatable. When the alchemist told Santiago, “People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them” (pg. 130), it resonated with me. I have the highest hopes of becoming a doctor, but sometimes I feel like I’m dreaming beyond my means or that I won’t have what it takes to make it. Yet, after finishing this book, I have a newfound sense of confidence. I think that’s what Coelho wanted his readers to have. He wanted them to know that if they have a dream, they should pursue it, because they would never know what could have happened if they didn’t. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is feeling unsure of themselves and their goals in life. Coelho will definitely change their