Free The Alchemist Book Summary by Paulo Coelho

Key Insights

The Alchemist is a classic novel about a young shepherd named Santiago who embarks on his journey to find a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. His journey is arduous and filled with obstacles, but he carries on no matter what.

This book tells you that everyone has a personal legend or a higher purpose they are destined to fulfill. Many people are oblivious to it, but some recognize it. You must always follow the path of your personal legend because that’s the only path that will give you satisfaction and fulfillment. 

While passion motivates you to be committed to your path, courage keeps you moving in adversity. The path of your personal legend is likely to be full of obstacles and heartbreak. You’ll fall several times, but the important thing is always to pick yourself back up and keep moving, which takes a lot of strength.

Always follow your personal legend

The Alchemist is a story about a young Spanish shepherd called Santiago, who has the same dream repeatedly every time he sleeps outside an old church building under a Sycamore tree. In his dreams, Santiago hears a child asking him to go to the pyramids of Egypt to find a secret treasure.

At first, he pays no attention, but when the same dream repeats, Santiago meets a gypsy woman. He asked the woman what his dream meant, and the gypsy said he must go to Egypt, which surprised the young shepherd.

Strangely, an older man named Melchizedek told Santiago the same thing — to go to Egypt. He said that Santiago must fulfill his ‘personal legend.’ Melchizedek explained that every one of us has a personal legend, the story of our life, and what we are supposed to do with it. For Santiago, his personal legend was calling him through his dreams.

Convinced by what the gypsy and Melchizedek said, the boy embarked on his arduous journey to the pyramids and thus followed his personal legend. He sells his sheep and his little belongings and heads to Tangier. His journey was marred with obstacles, but he overcame all challenges at each step to find success and fulfillment.

Everyone has a personal legend, a life’s calling unique to us. Just like the shepherd, we are here to fulfill that personal legend because it gives the fulfillment and success we constantly seek throughout our lives, whether financial success, fame, popularity, or spiritual fulfillment.

But one thing is certain — when you decide to embark on your personal legend, the journey will be arduous and highly painstaking. You will fall at each step, but if you’re sincere about your personal legend, you’ll pick yourself back up every time you fall. You won’t let the obstacles hold you back. You’ll expect obstacles because you know what you signed up for. What keeps you going is your endless passion to fulfill your personal legend, the purpose of your life.

Some people aren’t aware of their personal legend or are in the process of finding it. Others have found their personal legends. They know what they must do in life but lack the courage to pursue it. For instance, they might not risk quitting a stable job even if they hate it and have a brilliant business idea. 

They are just too afraid of all the bad things that might happen. The thing is, bad things will happen. Obstacles will come. What determines your success is your passion and spirit to come out of the bad and rise from the ashes every time you fall. Once you start, the universe will conspire to make your dreams a reality, but mind you; it’ll be an arduous journey.

Courage keeps you moving.

After arriving at Tangier, Santiago was hit with a culture shock. He couldn’t speak because no one could understand his language. Tangier’s culture and language were utterly alien to him. It was a world he had never seen or experienced, which was as difficult to maneuver through as exciting.

Being alone in an alien land where no one could understand him, Santiago’s first obstacle arrived when someone stole all the money he had brought. At this point, he started doubting that coming to Tangier was wrong. But then he recalled what Melchizedek had taught him and recommitted to his personal legend.

Things start to look up when he approaches a local crystal merchant who decides to hire Santiago. Soon after hiring Santiago, the merchant realized that the boy’s presence was a good omen and started taking business advice from the young boy. 

In particular, Santiago asked the merchant to take more risks in his business. And so it happened — the merchant became less risk-averse, and it paid off. The company started booming, and the two became rich. More importantly, thanks to Santiago, the merchant recognized his personal legend during this time. 

The boy used his money to courageously continue his journey toward the pyramids of Egypt. However, he was too afraid to follow it because he didn’t want to put everything he had on the line. On the other hand, no amount of wealth could keep Santiago from his personal legend. As a result, he decided to stay put.

Each of us has a personal legend. Courage distinguishes people who follow their dreams from those who don’t. When you’re convinced you’re born to do something, nothing can stop you. The journey is arduous, and you must put everything on the line to make it happen.

Santiago burned all bridges before coming to Tangier and then burned all his bridges again to go from Tangier to Egypt; he left himself no choice but to continue. He was willing to put everything on the line even when he got rich. Similarly, you must be unafraid of the unknown that lies ahead. 

Fear is a powerful instinct that we have. It’s the essential thing that keeps you from living the life you want and fulfilling what you were destined to do. It helps us survive, but sometimes it makes us miss opportunities because of the bad things that might happen.

The antidote to fear is courage. While passion motivates you, courage keeps you moving. It’s a virtue that empowers you to move mountains and accomplish the seemingly impossible. You must keep moving no matter how tough it gets.

Rise every time you fall

As Santiago continued his journey to Egypt, he met an Englishman on the caravan. The man told him that there was an alchemist nearby who could turn lead into gold. The caravan stopped at the Al-Fayoum oasis temporarily.

By this time, Santiago had already learned how to read omens. Thanks to his newfound ability, he foresaw that someone would attack the oasis. The rumors spread, and when the Alchemist knew this news, he wanted to meet Santiago. The two met, and the Alchemist became Santiago’s new mentor.

Interestingly, during their conversations, the Alchemist also brought up how important it is to follow their personal legend, which Santiago had learned from Melchizedek while he was back home. Meanwhile, Arab soldiers attacked the oasis, captured the two, and took them to their military camp, claiming they were spies.

In an attempt to rescue themselves, the Alchemist told the tribal leader that Santiago was an alchemist and could destroy the camp with the force of the wind. No one took this seriously, especially Santiago. But thanks to the Alchemist’s wisdom, Santiago overcame his fear and turned into the wind upon which the chief released the two.

Santiago and the Alchemist part ways as Santiago heads to Egypt. There he gets beaten and robbed again. One of the men told Santiago that he had a dream in which he would find the treasure under a tree near a church in Spain. Immediately, something goes off in Santiago’s head, and he knows exactly where the treasure is. He returns to Spain, where he had his first dream, and finds the treasure exactly where it was supposed to be, fulfilling his personal legend.

Like Santiago, you’ll fall several times when following your personal legend. But no tremor can shake your ground if you’re dead sure about your personal legend and are convinced this is your destiny. You’ll doubt yourself every time you fall, but shortly after, you’ll remember why you decided to tread this path. These reasons will always outweigh your fear of failure and the unknown.

Main Takeaway

Our purpose in life is to fulfill our personal legends. When you surrender to your personal calling, you’re living the dream. When you do that, your destiny becomes your only obligation in life. You can move mountains for your personal calling. But surely, this journey will be full of pain and hurdles. If you decide to act on fear, you’ll end up nowhere. What’s important is that you rise from the ashes every time you fall. Courage picks you back up, and with each fall comes a life lesson that makes you wiser. 

About the author

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist who got into writing later. He published his first book Hell Archives in 1982 and then the Practical Manual of Vampirism in 1986. He considered both works of lousy quality and tried to take them off the shelves.

The following year he wrote his most famous book, The Alchemist, and it took off years later, selling millions of copies worldwide. Today, this book has spent over 300 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold 65 million copies so far. The Alchemist also holds the title of the world’s most translated book by any author.