How Does Santiago Change In The Alchemist

Santiago has changed throughout the entire book “The Alchemist” written by Paulo Coelho. Over many years he has gone through his personal legend shaping and forming him into the person he was destined to become. One of his most positive character traits that he has developed over his travels is that he is open to learning. Several times in the story Santiago mentions that his sheep have taught him many things and other characters as well. An example of this is, “...the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a universal language in the world that everyone understood...It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired ”. Although …show more content…
He understands the language of the universe, but his force is changed by war in the desert. An example of Santiago’s overconfidence in his knowledge of the world would be, “No one paid any attention to the two travelers. ‘There's no danger,’ the boy said, when they had moved on past the encampment. The alchemist sounded angry: ‘Trust in your heart, but never forget that you're in the desert. When men are at war with one another, the Soul of the World can hear the screams of battle. No one fails to suffer the consequences of everything under the sun.’” Only the Alchemist knows the boundaries of the universe and Santiago has yet to learn. Another example of a negative character trait is that Santiago is stubborn towards strangers. While he was in the plaza of the city reading a book an old man tried to spark a conversation. A quote from the book is, “Meanwhile, the old man persisted in his attempt to strike up a conversation. He said that he was tired and thirsty, and asked if he might have a sip of the boy's wine. The boy offered his bottle, hoping that the old man would leave him alone. But the old man wanted to talk, and he asked the boy what book he was reading. The boy was tempted to be rude, and move to another bench, but his father had taught him to be respectful of the elderly.” The only reason that Santiago was respectful was because of the ideas taught by his father. The final example of a negative character trait in Santiago is that he can sometimes become too optimistic. He sees the world the way he wants to see it and has become blinded by this optimism. An example of this is, “‘You have to cross the entire Sahara desert,’ said the young man. ‘And to do that, you need money. I need to know whether you have enough.’ The boy thought it a strange question. But he trusted in the old man, who had said that, when you really want