I became
interested in the unfamiliar word alchemist, so I read this book. Before
reading the book, I looked up the meaning of the word alchemy in advance.
Alchemy is a primitive chemical technology that originated in ancient Egypt and
passed through Arabia to medieval Europe, making precious metals such as gold
and silver from non-metals such as copper, lead, and tin. Furthermore, it is
said to be a chemical technology that tries to make a potion that does not old.
As I knew the meaning of the word alchemy in the title of the book, the
contents of the book were more expected.
Santiago, the main character, went to the
seminary according to his parents’ wish to become a priest, but he is living as
a shepherd by expressing his desire to travel. Santiago dreams of leaving to
find the treasure in the Egyptian pyramid and goes on a journey to find the
treasure with the money he earned by selling the sheep. He arrives in Egypt by
ship, but all his property is taken away by a stranger who thought he was a
helper. He works at a crystal store and gets a considerable amount of money, so
he wonders whether to go back, but soon decides to leave for the treasure and
goes on a journey across the desert with a traveler. While crossing the desert,
a war breaks out between African tribes and he stays in an oasis and a parm
grove. There, he meets a woman of fate named Fatima, falling in love, and meets
an alchemist with an Englishman. He once again thinks about giving up his
journey to find treasure while living with Fatima, but continues his journey to
the pyramid with the cheering of Fatima, who supports his dream. The alchemist
and Santiago meet the army and are threatened with life and property taken
away, but the alchemist achieves his promise to show the army the miracle of
Santiago becoming a wind within three days and they continue to visit the
pyramid. Santiago finds a pyramid he saw in his dream and digs a hole to find
the treasure, but meets soldiers and is robbed to the last piece of gold. He
told them honestly that he was looking for treasure while talking about his
dream, and then the leader of the soldiers tells the story that he had dreamed
such a dream. After hearing the story, Santiago is sure that there is a
treasure there and finally succeeds in finding it. He goes to Fatima and the
story the end.
The story is about Santiago finding treasure,
but it shows Santiago growing in the process of finding it. He went on a
journey to find the treasure, but on the journey, he experiences and learns not
only the treasure, but also the more valuable things he can gain from the
journey, such as how to overcome frustration and crisis, perseverance without
wavering in anything, much wisdom gained from conversation with an alchemist,
and true love. Everyone has one dream and so do I. This book seems to teach a
lesson that there will be many hardships to achieve your dream, but if you
don’t give up and move forward toward your dream, you will achieve it. I will
also start my journey to achieve my dream and overcome various hardships and
trials. I will learn various experiences and knowledge on the journey and
achieve my dream at the end.
