Alchemist

Mahnoor Javed
This book is written by a Brazilian author *Paulo Coelho*. It has been translated into more than fifty-nine languages. Paulo Coelho is a storyteller with the power to inspire nations and change people’s lives. The theme of the book is realizing one’s destiny or purpose in life. This short fiction novel is about a boy Santiago who is from Spain. He loves traveling so he becomes a shepherd to visit around the countryside. While traveling several times, he dreams about the same treasures that are under the pyramid of Egypt. For interpreting the dream, he goes to the city of Tarifa where he meets a King who offers him two magic stones Urim and Thummim by which he would be able to understand the omens of nature, and he advises him how to initiate the journey to pursue his treasure. Following his dream, he goes on a long journey. Santiago has to cross the Mediterranean and the Sahara desert to reach Egypt. In this long journey, he gains a lot of unique and thrilling experiences and master works by the Alchemist. Such as the language of dessert, wind, sun, and the soul of the world that make him the real Alchemist. Apart from this, he meets a number of new people: a crystal man who helps Santiago in his difficult situations in a foreign country, an English man who told him about the Alchemist who transfers metal into Gold, and a gorgeous girl Fatima to whom he married. During these all, he faces a lot of hardships and challenges, but he never gives up. He ultimately gets to learn various things. Does he find treasures in Egypt? The Alchemist is one of the most enchanting novels I have ever read. It entirely amazed me with its beautiful storytelling. This book can easily wind up all negativities and leads one towards a positive life. It inspires the importance of carrying dreams and pursuing them by facing challenges and hardships. I love how it has developed the most impeccable quotes on every single page. However, the most favorite quotes of mine are: 1. “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.” 2. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” 3. “The world we are alive in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse.” Overall, the Alchemist is a fantastic book, and I recommend it to every young reader and old people to cast a glance at this short novel.