The Alchemist

“The heat lasted until nightfall, and all that time he had to carry his jacket. But when he thought to complain about the burden of its weight, he remembered that, because he had the jacket, he had withstood the cold of the dawn.” 

Santiago can see the benefits of his burdens; though the jacket is no use to him in the summer months, he is aware of its usefulness when the winter arrives. His life is lonely. Though he thinks about complaining, the only beings around him are the sheep. The benefit of him being able to reason through both sides of an argument stems from his loneliness and lack of human contact. 

“It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.” 

After arriving in the town and having his fortune told, Santiago would like to sit down and read his book (slightly thicker, just as he had promised himself), but Melchizedek interrupts him and appears to know the book that Santiago is reading. Melchizedek’s explanation of the world’s greatest lie foreshadows that—at a certain point in Santiago’s life—he may lose control of what is happening to him and fate will take over. However, even when Santiago is in danger of losing control of his fate, he (and the audience) will be able to look back on this lesson. 

“He had discovered that the presence of a certain bird meant that a snake was nearby, and that a certain shrub was a sign that there was water in the area. The sheep had taught him that.” 

Santiago has learned from the sheep as he would learn from a book. He no longer has the sheep (or Melchizedek to teach him). Instead, Santiago must learn to read the omens as he has learned to read the sheep. As will happen when Santiago learns about crystal, the desert, or the Arabic language, the ability to discern nuances beyond the obvious and to become fluent in new languages is one of the best ways to strive forward toward a personal objective. 

“He was no longer a shepherd, and he had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over.” 

Santiago is having a crisis of identity. As he tells the audience when reflecting on his earlier life, this is not the first time. He did not want to be a priest, despite training all of his life in the seminary. At that juncture, he gave up the church and became a shepherd. Now, he has given up being a shepherd and finds himself at a similar juncture. Santiago wants to go back to what he had a day before, back to a time when he knew exactly who and what he was (namely, a shepherd), but he cannot. The blunt sentence clauses reveal the depth of the problems he faces, each one hammering home the emotional strife brought about by this sudden loss of identity. 

“I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.” 

The merchant’s complaint contains one of the central dilemmas of the text—the fear that if one is to realize one’s dream, there may no longer be a point in existence. The merchant’s desire to visit Mecca is perhaps stronger than Santiago’s desire to travel to the pyramids, as it is compelled by the merchant’s religion. When Santiago asks why the merchant has not made the journey, the merchant reveals that he is scared—he is caught in the dilemma that is outlined above. As such, the merchant traps himself in a situation of moderate success and prefers to keep Mecca as a dream, as doing so will always sustain the dream in its perfect form. The dream endures beyond reality and is preferable to knowing whether he will be a success or a failure. 

“Sometimes, there’s just no way to hold back the river.” 

Even though the merchant is exactly as successful as he wishes to be, he agrees to Santiago’s plan to sell tea in the crystal store. He is worried that any success will only reveal to him how much of his life he has squandered, but he is willing to sacrifice his present level of comfort to ensure that he has no regrets in the future. To make this point, he uses a metaphor of trying to hold back the flow of a river. The way he discusses introducing tea to the crystal store makes it sound like this minor business decision is as monumental and as unstoppable as the force of a strong current in a river. It is not the decision or the act of selling tea that is inevitable. Rather, it is Santiago himself. He is determined, informed by the omens and the lessons that he has learned. The merchant has realized that there is no way he can possibly hinder the inevitability of Santiago’s ideas, even if he is ultimately the owner of the store and the man making the decisions. In accordance with the metaphor, he opens the dam and allows Santiago’s intuitions and ideas to flow freely. 

“I am proud of you.” 

After the decision to build a cabinet and to begin serving tea in the crystal store, Santiago is far more successful in the merchant’s shop than anyone had expected. As he has been advised, he has maintained agency over his existence. His own decisions brought him to this point: He entered the store, he made the changes, and he saved up his money. Thus far, Santiago has been following the orders of Melchizedek as well as following the omens. This has not only brought him great fortunes and the ability to follow his dreams, but it has elicited pride from the merchant. When Santiago arrived in Tangiers, he spoke no Arabic and was instantly tricked into losing all of his money. However, now he has matured. He has brought the merchant great financial success, but it is his growth as a man that has made the merchant proud. Because the merchant is a father figure to Santiago, his pride acts as a validation for all of Santiago’s decisions thus far. 

“He left without saying good-bye to the crystal merchant.”

Santiago is struck by how much the merchant reminds him of Melchizedek. He decides to leave without saying goodbye, as he is beginning to trust again in the omens. Trusting in the omens means abandoning a certain emotional investment; it abstracts a great deal of the decision-making process, assigning value to signs and portents rather than emotional connections and relationships. He decides not to say goodbye as an extension of this. Though the merchant has meant a great deal to him and the two have enjoyed great success together, saying goodbye to the man adds an emotional complication to what is becoming—once again—a more metaphysical journey. There is no omen ascribed to bidding farewell to a friend, and so it is unimportant for the type of journey that Santiago is undertaking. For the first time, it becomes clear that there is a divide between the way Santiago makes decisions (trusting the omens) and the way other people make decisions (evaluating their emotional investments). 

“‘I am the leader of the caravan,’ said a dark-eyed bearded man. ‘I hold the power of life and death for every person I take with me.’” 

Before they set out into the desert, the stakes are made clear. This is no longer just a case of Santiago pursuing his dreams, but he is beginning to put his actual life on the line. In a narrative sense, this escalation heightens the value of the treasures that Santiago seeks. If his journey to Egypt were event-free and benign, then there would be little to learn and little excitement along the way. Instead, there are troubles and threats in the desert; omen or not, Santiago has a final chance to turn back and must decide. If he is to succeed, he must follow the rules. Just like Melchizedek, the leader of the caravan is now the person who lays down the guidelines of how to survive. Being able to pass through the desert will mean learning another language and learning how to navigate a new situation, and all of it is carried out in pursuit of Santiago’s dream. The more Santiago trusts himself to the journey, the more he has to lose. 

“But the desert is so huge, and the horizons so distant, that they make a person feel small, and as if he should remain silent.” 

In comparison to the great expanse of the desert, Santiago is an almost insignificant speck. Not only does this demonstrate the scale of the journey that lies ahead, but it puts Santiago into perspective. The desert forms a dichotomy with those who pass through it, using its size and its emptiness to intimidate. It forces the people who pass through it into silence and demands that they respect its power. If Santiago wishes to bend the desert to his will, it is suggested that he will need to abandon the silence and learn to speak the language of the large, empty desert. 

“He needed someone to talk to so as to avoid thinking about the possibility of war.” 

The Englishman brings a steady stream of alchemy-adjacent ideas to the text. The sudden threat of the war makes the information stored in his books seem quaint and inconsequential but still a potential distraction from the impending violence. The Englishman is desperate to talk to Santiago about the contents of the books because he is trying to distract himself from what he fears is coming. To the Englishman, the alchemy textbooks are an escape from the real world and its attendant threats. 

“The silence of the desert was a distant dream.” 

The oasis, positioned in the middle of the desert, provides the caravan members with a social relief from the solitude, fear, and loneliness of the desert. The oasis is defined by what it is not: If the desert is silent, then the oasis is bustling enough to make this silence seem a “distant dream” (58). If the desert is devoid of life, then the oasis is home to hundreds of people and the woman whom Santiago will fall in love with. 

“It was love.” 

So far in the story, Santiago has abandoned any notion of love. At first, when he was still in Andalusia, he cherished the memory of an unnamed girl who he had met the previous year. He orientated his life around the memory of her, aiming his flock toward her home village in the hope that they would meet again. He has since abandoned this plan and set out on his quest for treasure. However, when Santiago meets Fatima, those romantic feelings are rekindled. As it is presented in the text, Santiago locks eyes with a girl as she approaches a well and falls instantly in love. This plays on the tropes often found in literature, namely the idea of love at first sight. Suddenly, Santiago can feel the world change around him, and he feels as though he understands a universal language. Though the girl is yet to speak to him, entire paragraphs are dedicated to the expectation of what she might say and how this pregnant pause before her words is filled with his sudden emotions. All of this stems from three single syllable words: “It was love” (60). On so simple a sentence, Santiago’s entire life begins to change. 

“Fatima was more important than his treasure.” 

After locking eyes with Fatima in the oasis, Santiago reconsiders the goal of his journey. Though he has been looking for treasure, the meeting with Fatima has taught him that there are more valuable things than riches and gold. In the space of a day, he has decided that he can remain in the oasis and become a shepherd once again, as long as he is able to remain with her. As with the crystal store, Santiago finds himself drifting away from his primary goal, tempted by the promise of love or success. As per the advice of Melchizedek, Santiago must learn to overcome this romantic obstacle and refocus his life if he is to achieve his objective and remain true to himself. 

“The boy wanted to take her hand. But Fatima’s hands held to the handle of her jug.” 

In a novel heavy with symbolism, this is one of the most acute examples. The dream of what Santiago desires fights against the reality of what is in front of him. Though he wants to, he cannot take Fatima’s hand (a metaphor for marriage), as her hands are already clasped to the water jug (a metaphor for her duty and commitment to the community of the oasis). Fatima’s dedication to her community hinders Santiago’s desires. To resolve this tension, Santiago must find a way to metaphorically release Fatima’s hands from the jug and make her see the value in a marriage to him. In the end, he is not able to resolve this issue, but Fatima resolves it for him. She promises to wait for him to return from his quest and becomes a woman who waits, which is part of the traditions of the people of the oasis. Fatima understands the importance of Santiago’s journey, so she finds a way to meld together her love for him with the traditions and culture of her people. 

“Everything we know was taught to us by the desert.” 

One of the themes of the novel is language and how it is learned, whether it is Arabic, Spanish, the language of the wind, or the language of the desert. Santiago has walked into a situation where he is speaking a foreign language and is asking the chieftains to believe in the vision he has seen. He is not only speaking in Arabic (his second language), but he is trying to convince them that he is fluent in the third language (the language of omens). He tries to find common ground: The vision was revealed to him by the desert, the same desert that has taught these men everything they know. It has taught them to believe Santiago, and it has taught Santiago to entrust his vision to them. The way language is shared and learned is communal. Santiago trusts his instincts and absorbs the language of the desert by osmosis. Because of this manner of learning (and this willingness to learn), he may be able to save the people of the oasis from the approaching army that he has seen in his vision. Because of Santiago’s fluency in languages, he can seize control of his own journey, exactly as Melchizedek told him to do. 

“Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of the hawks?” 

Santiago has dedicated himself to the learning of languages and to trusting in the omens. It has served him well: He has crossed the sea to Africa, has become a successful crystal salesman, and now has reached a desert oasis and fallen in love with Fatima. By sharing the vision he gleaned from the hawks, Santiago suddenly finds himself in danger. Though he has trusted in the fundamental goodness of the omens, the masked rider presents a clear and present danger to his existence. Santiago is facing punishment for the first time. Rather than be executed for daring to read this vision, Santiago sheds a “droplet of blood” (70). This seemingly small price is actually a test of how much Santiago believes in what he has learned; once it has been passed, it will allow him to meet the alchemist. The masked rider is a guardsman of the knowledge of the desert. He is checking Santiago’s fluency and honesty. Because Santiago can demonstrate both, he passes the test and survives what seems to be an existential threat. 

“Rather than being killed by a blade or a bullet, he was hanged from a dead palm tree, where his body twisted in the desert wind.” 

The palm trees are a miracle, a source of sustenance surrounded by the drought and death of the desert. The palm trees are also a symbol of the oasis, the neutral ground where those in the desert can drink and eat without worrying about battle. However, the commander has violated that neutrality; he has attacked the traditions associated with the palm trees. Just as he has symbolically killed the palm trees, he will be hanged from a dead palm tree himself. This method of execution reinforces the importance of maintaining the neutrality of the oasis. It is a warning to others who might also wish to attack the neutral ground and a fitting punishment for those who have breached the ancient traditions. The chieftain of the oasis is aware of the importance of symbols and omens, even when it comes to his methods of execution. 

“‘It’s not what enters men’s mouths that’s evil,’ said the alchemist. ‘It’s what comes out of their mouths that is.’” 

As Santiago meets with the mysterious alchemist, he finds that the man is not what he expected: The alchemist has already killed the hawks, Santiago suspects, which revealed the battle that was about to take place. He offers Santiago wine, even though it is forbidden it the country. He tells Santiago that, even though Santiago has earned great treasures, he has not yet found his actual treasure. This alternative paradigm is reflected in the above quote. Here, the alchemist seems to be profaning against the rules of the Koran. He drinks alcohol and believes that the action of drinking is not important, but what it produces is the matter of importance. It demonstrates his otherness from those around him, the extent to which he differs from everyone whom Santiago has met in Africa. It also reminds Santiago of Melchizedek, which encourages him to follow the man’s advice. By offering wine instead of water and accompanying this with a metaphysical discussion on the nature of sin, the alchemist differentiates himself and gains Santiago’s trust.

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” 

Throughout the novel, Santiago has learned various languages. Many of these are actual languages, others are emotional frameworks, and others are specific discourses. When Santiago develops a fluency in that language, each one brings him new found wisdom. Love seems separate from this system; as Fatima explains, there is no reason needed to love. Love exists outside of the frameworks of the various languages that Santiago has learned, and he will not be able to guide his way through love by interpreting omens, as he had done previously. This is a unique moment in the text: Everything else can be learned and interpreted, explained with reasoning and understanding. Love is different and can be boiled down to platitudes that expound both its simplicity and unique nature. Fatima is teaching Santiago the language of love, but she is doing so by teaching him that it is not a language at all. 

“The Arabs laughed at him, and the alchemist laughed along.” 

The above quote reveals the difference between those who heed the lessons that Santiago has been taught and those who do not. Santiago has learned to trust his heart and open himself up to fantastic possibilities. However, the armed men have retained the cynicism that plagues most people. When they are told about the true nature of two of the world’s most valuable objects—the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life—they believe that it is nothing more than a joke. They return the items and allow the alchemist and Santiago to pass. If they had learned the lessons that Santiago has learned, they might be the most fortunate people in the world; because they have not, they are doomed to their lives of mediocrity. Even when they come close to death, the alchemist can teach Santiago lessons using the world around them. This lesson—on the importance of honesty—will prove to be useful to Santiago when he is digging for his treasure beside the Egyptian pyramids. 

“The wind was a proud being, and it was becoming irritated with what the boy was saying.” 

Santiago’s ability to learn new languages reaches its climax in this scene. The alchemist and chieftain challenge Santiago to turn into the wind, but Santiago has no idea how to do so. Now, as he stands on the cliff edge, he begins to communicate with the wind in a familiar language. The discussion between Santiago and the wind is a real discussion as the text imbues the wind with a personality. In a literary sense, this is expounding upon the theme of the novel. It gives the wind a personality and a character; the wind speaks the same literary language as the other characters and, in doing so, reveals that it has pride, arrogance, and desires, just like the humans. Once they are equivocated, then they can become the same. This understanding functions as a Rosetta Stone for Santiago, allowing him to communicate with the wind, the sun, and everything else as though they were beings in their own right. By giving the wind a personality, the text presents the wind as something that can be reasoned with and appealed to. By learning to speak the language of the wind, Santiago is finally beginning to understand that he can reason with and appeal to anything he wants. Finally, he is becoming the alchemist of the novel’s title. 

“Don’t say that again. Life might be listening, and give you less next time.” 

As the alchemist prepares to depart, there are still lessons that he can pass along to Santiago. Here, for example, Santiago, the alchemist, and a monk stand at the gates of the monastery. As the alchemist divides up a large lump of gold, the monk protests that its value is too high and that the alchemist is being too generous. The alchemist replies, warning the monk not to endanger his future fortunes by objecting to generosity. When the time comes for Santiago to receive the same amount, he learns by example and keeps quiet. After an entire journey spent listening and absorbing information, Santiago is now accustomed to picking up all the lessons and omens that present themselves to him.