The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Published by Harpertorch/HarperCollinsPublishers: New York, NY, 2002.
Originally published in 1988 as O Alquimista in Portuguese.
English translation by Paulo Coelho and Alan R Clarke, 1993.

I've had this book recommended to me in the past, and finally got around to reading it. It is not a long book (167 pages) and is an easy read - in fact, I read it in a single sitting. It is also a simple story, told in a style that is allegorical or "parable-ic."

The protagonist of the story is a boy introduced on the first page as Santiago, but from then on only referred to as "the boy." He has taken up the life of a shepherd in order to see the world, after having learned reading and writing when his parents desired for him to become a priest. After having a vivid dream, 'the boy' seeks to learn its meaning, firstly from a gypsy fortune-teller, and then by meeting Melchizedek, the king of Salem - a historical figure found in Genesis 14, and often seen as a metaphor for Jesus. Between these two figures, the boy learns that there is a treasure buried near the pyramids in Egypt, and that he should go and seek it out. To do this, he must sell his flocks and begin the journey without much more direction.

Through his travels, the boy meets a crystal salesman, an Englishman obsessed with the idea of becoming an alchemist, a beautiful young woman named Fatima, and the titular alchemist, among others. From each of these he learns a life lesson about pursuing your dreams or finding meaning in life. Some of them are fairly generic, some are a little more insightful, and some take on a distinctly religious flavour - either based around Islam, or stories from the Bible - both Old and New Testaments.

When I had this book recommended to me, the person who recommended it felt challenged, stirred, felt they had learned something about God, and wanted to read it again. I felt it was okay, mildly cliche, and occasionally leaning into an "all roads lead to God" type world-view.

Not as bad as something like Life's Golden Ticket, but not something I would rush out to recommend.

Fine.

Completed 27 September 2025.

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