Book Summary: The Alchemist

Santiago always wanted to travel. Being a shepherd allowed Santiago to be free and travel like he wanted to. Parents have dreams for every child but children choose their own way and Santiago chose to travel rather than be a shepherd. The payment to Melchizedek yields the desired result. He tells Santiago that his Personal Legend is to travel to the pyramids and follow the omens in order to find the treasure. At the end of the book, when the thief tells Santiago that he had a dream that the treasure was under a sycamore tree in Spain, Santiago recognizes it as a sign or omen and knows that this is where the treasure will be buried. If Santiago had not experienced what he did and learned to recognize the signs, he may have never found …show more content…
The only way to find your personal legend is by ridding yourself of impurities and striving toward what you want most. My personal legend includes working hard to finish school and pursue my professional goals, which is continuing in advancement of Nursing Administration positions. I’ve realized that by reading this book you learn and grow through your life experiences trying to find your personal legend.
The alchemist reveals this secret to Santiago. This relates to the personal legend because that is the means by which alchemy turns to gold. It must be cleansed from impurities and undergo much stress and hardship to get to the point of turning into gold. The same goes for each of us, in order to find our personal legend, we must sacrifice things we love in order to achieve what we long for the most. It isn’t easy to find your personal legend, but when you do, you are in a higher state than you were before, and are stronger because of the sacrifices and hardships you endured to get …show more content…
But he was not aware of these things because he had “grown accustomed to them”. Sometimes, it takes a few different experiences to learn the same principle. I have found this in my own life. There are some lessons that need to be learned over and over again because we forget them as time goes on.
The desert is free from worldly distractions, it is a desolate and silent place, which offers the perfect setting for Santiago to learn and reflect on what has happened to him so far. As he learns to understand and accept every part of the desert, from the sand to the sun, he is able to convince the desert to help him turn into the wind. The desert is also full of dangers, lack of food and water, shelter and wildlife. It is a trial for Santiago to go through the desert and this is where he grows to understand and truly know his