Santiago cannot forget a vision he had, in which he saw an army riding into the oasis with swords at the ready. The Alchemist, a book by Paulo Coelho, tells the story of a boy who embarks on a journey to find his personal legend, his true treasure, after having this dream. Throughout his journey, he learns valuable life lessons. Santiago, the boy who believes in omens and pays close attention to his surroundings, learns a crucial lesson from an alchemist: people rarely believe that you possess great treasures within you. This lesson ultimately saves his life.
The alchemist taught Santiago a valuable life lesson: When you have precious treasure within yourself, others often doubt its existence. While searching for his falcon, the alchemist encountered three armed tribesmen who inspected their bags and found their possessions. One of the tribesmen asked, “What are these things?” The alchemist answered, “These items are the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life. They represent the ultimate achievements of alchemists. Consuming the elixir ensures eternal good health, and even a fragment from the stone can turn any metal into gold.” After mocking the Arabs and allowing Santiago and the alchemist to continue on their journey, Santiago immediately questioned, “Are you crazy?”
In response, the alchemist imparted a simple lesson about life to Santiago. He informed the soldiers about the specific identity of each item, but they didn’t believe him. The soldiers found it hard to accept the truth in what the alchemist had stated. It is often the case that when you possess valuable knowledge within yourself and try to share it with others, they are not inclined to believe you. This disbelief is usually because the information may seem too incredible or even too simple. Santiago later realizes the importance of this lesson as it ends up saving his life.
Santiago, at the pyramids, demonstrates the life lesson he learned earlier when he was seen by several tribal war refugees who were digging for his treasure where his tears had fallen. The men beat him up until he remembered the words of the Alchemist: “Money isn’t worth anything if it can’t save your life.” Despite his bleeding and swollen mouth, the boy shouted at them, “I’m digging for treasure!” He also informed his attackers that he had dreamed twice about a treasure near the Pyramids of Egypt.
The leader of a group of men told one of his companions to ignore someone, claiming that they must have stolen a certain gold because they had nothing else. Before leaving, the leader returned to the boy and shared a dream he once had in the same location where the boy’s story began. After the man left, the boy felt incredibly happy because he now knew where his treasure was thanks to the man’s revelation. This event illustrated the lesson taught by the alchemist – if you have extraordinary treasures within yourself, others will rarely believe you without going through a series of events.
Despite sharing his tale of treasure hunting, Santiago’s companions remained skeptical. They couldn’t be convinced even though Santiago firmly believed in the existence and location of the treasure, which wasn’t physically within him. However, this experience taught him a valuable lesson about where his true treasure was hidden – something he had failed to realize in his recurring dream. He had to undertake this journey on his own because, as the old saying goes, “wherever your treasure is found, your heart also resides.” And for Santiago, that place was always Andalusia.
Despite Santiago’s initial desire to be a shepherd, he had to abandon that dream in order to pursue his treasure. Throughout his journey, he gleaned valuable lessons from his sheep and his experiences, ultimately discovering the importance of sacrificing everything, taking risks, and being honest, even when keeping secrets could have been advantageous. By embracing these principles, Santiago not only saved his own life but also achieved his ultimate objective of living out his Personal Legend and uncovering his coveted treasure.
