The Alchemist

“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”—from The Alchemist The Alchemist tells the story of Santiago, the young Andalusian shepherd who dreams of buried treasure in Egypt and embarks upon a challenging journey to find it. With all the simplicity and symbolic richness of a fable, Coelho’s novel is both a hunt for buried treasure and a spiritual quest, with a hero who overcomes trials along the way with the help of teachers who guide him. Paulo Coelho’s books have difficult—and valuable—lessons to impart, but much of their appeal comes from the way Coelho dramatizes these lessons. With exquisite simplicity, the author brings to these stories his own experience of confronting life’s most profound challenges, his broad knowledge of philosophy, psychology, and literature, and a deeply-felt humanity. Freshman Common Read: Erskine College, Montana State University at Bozeman, Immaculata University, Queensborough Community College Year after year, across generations, Paulo Coelho's profound and enduring work remains fresh and vital for readers today. These pages beam with the message that if we trust in ourselves and our inner strength and wisdom, we can navigate all of life’s ccomplexities with grace and resilience. Discover your dreams and your truth with The Alchemist. “We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”—Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist “It changed my whole life. I realized all of the people who had conspired to get me to this place.” —Pharrell Williams, musician and songwriter