Analysis Of Paulo Coelho's Novel 'The Alchemist'

Have you ever been so close to reaching something you could almost grasp it, only to have it slip between your fingers before you ever truly got hold of it? I feel as though my life has been made up of these moments. Near misses, passing by before ever given the chance to occur. One such incident occurred in Spring of 1995. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were going on tour. Needless to say, my friends and I were very excited at the mere thought of going to the concert and breathlessly began preparing to purchase our tickets. At the time, I worked at Music Plus, a local music store in San Clemente, CA. This allowed me to earn my own money for my concert tickets, which basically was my true passion at the time. Finally, the exciting

(Coelho 26) For example, Santiago’s first true test was to decide to leave behind his flock of sheep on the rolling hillside and follow his heart for adventure and head to Egypt in search of unknown treasure. Deep within himself, Santiago is questioning life and the meaning of it. But, it is only through a series of trials, adversities, and successes, that he comes to find his “Personal Legend”. (Coelho 26) Throughout the entire process Santiago does not lose sight of his objective, he maintained his focus on reaching the end of his goal. The qualities that Santiago personified of fate, commitment, love, and listening to the omens are what Paulo Coelho is teaching his readers to examine regarding their own “Personal

Armed with a proper understanding of omens and their interpretations, one can be very successful. Santiago arrives in Tangier only to be robbed of all his money. He calls upon stones Urim and Thummim, that he received from Melchizedek, these stones are to guide him reading the omens. He asks them, “Am I going to find my treasure?” As he reached in to find one of the stones, they both fell to the ground, he saw this as his omen (Coelho 44). In this case, Santiago was at a crossroads, having just lost everything he had, he could have easily abandoned his search for his “Personal Legend” (26). When Santiago had been working with the crystal merchant he had become “accustomed to recognizing the omens” (58). He had begun to train himself to look out for signs that would guide him along his journey toward his “Personal Legend” (26) and the more he did so, the results were fruitful. When Santiago travels to the oasis, he is able to discern the meaning of the flight of hawks into a vision warning of an attack on the oasis itself. At first, Santiago is hesitant to share his vision with anyone but then he remembers what the old king told him, “Always heed the omens” (102-116). Santiago is learning not only to place more faith in the omens, he is beginning to see himself as person of strength and with the qualities of a leader. His character is developing more as he becomes more confident