More than 50,000 copies of ‘The Alchemist’ have been sold worldwide and have been translated into 56 languages. Author Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and today he is one of the most widely read authors in the world. This online book review captures his unique writing style enables the reader to relate himself/herself to the story and though his characters are fictitious they still appear to be real. The story is not a narration, but dialogues and conversations amongst various characters. It’s a book beyond being special. The Alchemist means the person who knows all the languages. Not only the regional language, but the language of birds, animals, minerals, air, water, wind, desert and everything in the world and beyond.
We dream every night. At times we forget them, but many times we remember everything about them. We even experience those incidents in our real lives later, which we sensed in our dreams many years ago. This Déjà vu experience is not fictious. It’s real and we experience it personally. It’s an omen or a signal related to our destiny. But who gives these signals? How do I follow them? Should I? I think that’s insane. But that might benefit. Will I be happy doing this? How will I be happy then? Dreams leave us in a situation like this, where we are surrounded by innumerous questions with no answers to them. But trust me; this book will solve many of your questions.
The story is about a shepherd in Spain- Santiago, who learnt more from his sheeps than his books. He was keen to travel around the world and wanted to achieve the ‘Legend of his Life’, which he realized in his recurring dream. The search for the ‘Legend’ was a treasure, far from Spain in the deserts of Egypt (which he had never seen). Thus, he left for his journey and met a few people on the way. Those characters he met on the way were the people from whom he really learnt the art of alchemy. He realized that there was no need to spend years in laboratories to study all the languages. We all know them as all of us are created by the same hand and are the part of the ‘Soul of the World’. Our soul and the ‘Soul of the World’ are the same. We know each other, but are still unaware of it.
He met an old woman, who advised him to believe in the omens that came his way as they were the signals to his treasure. Then he met an old king, who told him that when an individual is determined to do something, the whole universe conspired to fulfill his dream. For a while he worked at the crystal shop in an Arabic country, where he learnt how to clean crystals and that to clean our mind’s negativity all we needed was to realize our self-being. The merchant explained to him the meaning of ‘Maktub’ i.e. everything is written. The wise men got their share of happiness as it is written for them.
Moving towards his treasure in Egypt, the boy met an Alchemist, who told him that the real text of alchemy was written on an emerald stone in a few lines. This was the original text, which was further complicated into philosophies. In the desert, the shepherd boy met his love- Fatima, who was a ‘woman of the desert’. Here he learnt about the true love of a girl who waited for him in the desert as it gave her patience and strength. The desert teaches you so much and is a great source of inspiration.
The shepherd wanted to become the wind to reach the pyramids, but he didn’t know how. So, he asked the wind as it is the most independent creature on this earth. The wind could do anything, but suddenly realized that there is something it cannot do i.e., convert a man into wind. It suggested him to request the heaven/sun to reveal the secret of becoming the wind. When asked from the sun, it replied that one who loves can do everything. He must then ask the Soul of the World. He prayed as never before with his heart and reached the pyramids. He admired the beauty of the pyramids and starting crying. But the treasure was yet to be found.
He started digging the sand of the desert, but nothing was found. Some refugees came to rob him and had beaten him up. He told them about his treasure and one man turned back to him saying that never go by your dreams. Even he had a recurring dream that a shepherd lived with his sheep in a ruined church of Spain and the treasure was there. But he was not crazy to go till Spain just for the sake of a dream. The boy got the signal. He returned to the church and started digging, and found the treasure of Spain and asked heaven that if the treasure was just here, then why did they give him signals to go to Egypt? The heavens replied, weren’t the pyramids beautiful.
Thus, he realized that he went there to learn and uncover the mysteries of life, to get his love and that everything was written. After reading the whole story we can relate to certain things and say that this was not a spiritual book, but an inspirational one, which would inspire us in all walks of life. The book reflects the key to happiness and is a masterpiece to be read by one and all.
‘MAKTUB‘- --but you can still read the book. It’s beyond being good.
