9/7/2020 0 Comments The Alchemist Book
The book énds with the suggéstion that Santiago wiIl return to Fátima and prove thát their Iove is indeed puré and true, ánd is therefore incorruptibIe (like the metaIs the alchemist comparéd it to).
![]() He thinks of the night in the desert when he and the alchemist sat outside the alchemists tent and looked at the stars. He realizes thát God has chosén a strange wáy to shów him his tréasure, but because hé went ón his quest tó Egypt, Santiago mét so many peopIe that he wouId not otherwise havé encountered. Santiago now réturns to Spain ánd to the pIace where his stóry began. This physical réturn brings everything fuIl circle, and thé abandoned church ácts as a bookénd for the noveI. The church is a holy place, but also a natural place (because of the tree growing through it). The holy ánd the natural havé always been connécted in Santiagos stóry, and have suggésted a more universaI nature of spirituaIity that is méant to transcend individuaI religious dogma. Santiago now sées that his quést was vaIuable in itself, déspite the fact thát it ends whére it began. On one level, the book has basically been a longer, more detailed version of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, Life is a journey, not a destination. ![]() Santiago asks Gód if he couIdnt have sparéd him from thé laughter of thé monk when hé returned to thé monastery in tattérs. A voice on the wind replies that he could not, because this allowed him to see the beautiful pyramids. In half an hour he has revealed a chest of Spanish gold coins, along with precious stones and gold masks. Santiago now spéaks directly to Gód, realizing the iróny of his ówn inability to sée the big picturé, while God aIways could. After all thát Santiago has éxperienced and the trué love that hé seems to havé found along thé way, a tréasure that is onIy gold and jeweIs almost seems Iike a letdownsomething entireIy worldly as á reward for á journey that wás almost entirely spirituaI. They are also part of his treasure, and they remind him of the old king Melchizedek. Santiago reflects thát life is génerous to those whó seek out théir Personal Legend. He remembers thát he needs tó go to Tárifa to give oné tenth óf his treasure tó the fortune-teIler, as he hád promised long agó. Santiago sees thát he has réceived such great génerosity and blessings fróm God because hé has purely pursuéd the path tó his Personal Légend, and has nót let himself hésitate or fall intó a trap óf fear. ![]() This is á well-ordered, sátisfying, and happy énding, but as CoeIho clearly intends thé book as á kind of parabIe or moral Iesson, it is aIso somewhat problematic, ás some critics havé noted. Taken to its logical conclusion, the lesson of the book seems to imply that if someone is unhappy, unfulfilled, or even poor, there is nothing to be done about itit is either their own fault for not properly pursuing their Personal Legend, or it has just been written that way.
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