Life's True Meaning

“But I’m going in search of my treasure” the boy said “I’m very close to it now” (Coelho148) In the Alchemist a young shepherd boy name Santiago is in search of his treasure. He has dreamt of this treasure, which is hidden beneath the great pyramids of Egypt, in his sleep and is now determined to follow his destiny. On his way he encounters many obstacles, but, he also meets some wise people who help him learn about the many important things in life. Achieving his destiny is not the only thing Santiago conquers on this journey, he also finds love and wisdom, but he still has a long way ahead to reach his treasure. Although Santiago must go through a long journey to achieve his destiny, he finally conquers it by being adventurous, by adapting to his environments, and by having respect for the individuals he encounters on his way.

Santiago’s adventurousness starts him off on this thrilling journey. He is adventurous enough to go after a treasure he isn’t even sure exists. He sets off into the desert not even knowing what awaits his there, in that never ending sea of sand. On his way through the desert he finds that there is war between the tribes and he must stop at the Oasis to stay safe until the wars have ended. There he meets Fatima and immediately falls in love, but even with the wars going on, and now his true love by his side, Santiago is determined to finish the adventure he started. When he finally reaches the pyramids and begins to dig, a boy comes to him and beats him, then states to him, “Two years ago right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream, two. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of Spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept. In my dream, there was a sycamore growing out of the ruins of the sacristy, and I was told that, if I dug at the roots of the sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure.” (Coelho 155) As the boy says this, Santiago realizes that his won treasure is at that sycamore tree where he began his journey. He crossed the desert not to find his treasure but to discover, love, wisdom, and that not everything in life is so simple. And like Santiago always does, he makes himself comfortable with the situation and adventurously sets back to Andalusia.

Santiago easily adapts to any environment, he is challenged with. When Santiago first embarks on his adventure and must leave his home, he easily adapts to the fields of Andalusia, and the company of his sheep helps him. Then he goes to Tarifa, where he meets the old king of Salem, Melchizedek, who helps Santiago adapt to the idea of going after the treasure which appears in his recurrent dreams. Later the boy meets a crystal merchant who lets Santiago work at his shop until Santiago has enough money to go to Egypt. Santiago easily adapts to his new job and tries to help the crystal merchant sell better by making some changes for the better. The crystal merchant does not like change, but Santiago helps him settle in with the new ideas which would change the shop for the better. “And, as he smothered the coals in the hookah, he told the boy that he could begin to sell tea in the crystal glasses. ‘Sometimes, there’s just no way to hold back the river.’”(Coelho 56) When Santiago finally has enough money to continue his journey Santiago thanks the merchant and gets on a caravan to go to the pyramids. He quickly becomes used to life in the desert and the Englishman who is with him on the caravan, helps Santiago learn about the Soul of the World, “the principle that governs all things.” (Coelho 75) When they get to the Oasis in the middle of the desert and Santiago meets his true love, Fatima he then again adapts to living there, but he also meets the alchemist who encourages him to continue his pursuit of the treasure, and they set out into the once desert again. Santiago meets some Bedouins on his way who are very suspicious of them, yet Santiago does not feel the urge to treat them badly.

Santiago meets many people along this journey and shows respect to each and every one, even his enemies. When Santiago first decides to leave his home and go off to be shepherd, his father does not agree with this idea, and although Santiago is desperate to go see the world, he respects his father and his Father’s ideas. Because of this respects he ends up being granted permission to leave and follow his dreams. When Santiago meets Melchizedek, Santiago respects the old king even if Santiago finds him annoying. In commence of this respect Santiago learns that he must follow his destiny, which is to go after the treasure. When he reaches the Oasis in the desert, he has a vision of a war and goes to the chief of the Oasis to explain his vision. The chief does not believe Santiago, yet he sends guards and although Santiago is threatened with death if there is not a war, Santiago respects the Chief. “Throughout the entire day we will be on the look out for our enemies. When the sun sets, the men will once again surrender their arms to me. For every ten dead me among our enemies, you will receive a piece of gold.”(Coelho 103) In return the chief rewards him after the war comes and all the enemies are killed. In this village Santiago also meets the Alchemist who at first is very threatening and scary to Santiago, but Santiago still shows respect for him and in return is not killed. “In his heart, he felt a strange sense of joy: he was about to die in pursuit of his destiny.”(Coelho 105) The boy is not angry at the Alchemist and is not blaming him for ruining his journey and not allowing him to reach his destiny. His respect is always rewarded and appreciated.

Santiago believes that he can achieve his destiny even if there are many obstacles to prevent him from doing this. He leaves his home in Andalusia, Spain to go after the treasure he has dreamt so much about, only to find that his treasure is really at a ruined church, right where he began his journey. He learns from many people he meets along the way that you must overcome many obstacles to achieve your destiny. He does this by being adventurous, adaptable, and respectful. Santiago’s adventurous spirit gets him started on his journey and keeps him going until he achieves it. By adapting to whichever environment or situation he is placed in, he easily gets through the difficulties of his journey. By respecting others, he is respected back and admired for this. With these traits he achieves not only his destiny but he also finds love, wisdom and life’s true meaning. All of this comes together as, life’s true meaning