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The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is the story of a Spanish shepherd boy named Santiago, and his journey to find the treasure that happens to be his destiny, his “Personal Legend”. As he travels in search of his treasure he learns of alchemy and the “Language of the World” by observing the world around him. He also gains insight from those he encounters along the way and overcomes obstacles as large as crossing the desert to discover his treasure.

The Alchemist is a story of self discovery and learning to understand the world around us. I took Santiago’s journey and applied it to an area of my town, taking the time to realize and learn things I previously would not have noticed, but keeping the images ambiguous enough for others to apply to themselves as they wish.

It’s the simple things in life that are extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them. 15

When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises. 27

Before the boy could reply, a butterfly appeared and flutteredbetween him and the old man. He rememberedsomething his grandfatherhad once told him: thatbutterflies were a good omen. Like crickets, and like grasshoppers; like lizards and four-leaf clovers. 29

This kind of life cannot be captured in pictures or words. Because people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World. 87

I’m going to become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me. I’m going to hate those who have found their treasure because I never found mine. And I’m going to hold on to what little I have, because I’m too insignificant to conquer the world. 39

People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want. We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand. 76

You are in the desert. So immerse yourself in it. The desert will give you an understanding of the world; in fact, anything on the face of the Earth will do that. You don’t even have to understand the desert: all you have to do is contemplate a single grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation. 127

Everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. 150

Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time. 156

The boy stood up shakily, and looked once more at the Pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him, and he laughed back, his heart bursting with joy. Because now he knew where his treasure was. 163

Works Cited

Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. New York: HarperOne, 2006.