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The Alchemist Essay In life, everyone has their own personal legend. Whether it be giving people a reason to remember the name or getting the dream job, the journey to a personal legend is not an easy one. A personal legend can take your entire life to achieve or even realize what it is! Santiago’s personal legend was to find the treasure, and although it was not an easy task to handle he managed to make it happen. We will write a custom essay sample on The Alchemist or any similar topic only for you Order Now Santiago would not have reached his personal legend without the dream that started it all (the call to adventure), the obstacles that ended up helping him( tests, allies and enemies), or the people he met along the way (mentor). To begin with, Santiago would not have realized what his personal legend is without the dream. The dream reoccurred and at first Santiago tried to brush it off, but then he thought of it as an â€Å"omen†. This is his â€Å"Call to adventure†. From there, he decided he wanted to be a Sheppard and travel the world with sheep. Later on in the book he met the gypsy woman. She told him, â€Å"You must go to the pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard of them, but if it was a child who showed you them, they exist. Then you will find a treasure that will make you rich†(Coelho 14). If the gypsy would have never explained to him what the dream meant, he might have not known the true meaning of his personal legend, and would not be able to fulfill it. Continuing, the result of Santiago’s journey might not be the same if the obstacles that were in his way were not there. It’s kind of like the saying â€Å"One step back, two steps forward†, the obstacles that may have momentarily been bad or got in his way, actually ended up helping him in the long run or making him stronger. For example when Santiago lost all his money and had to work in the shop for a year or so, he ended up making money and learning to speak Arabic which was very useful for him. Finally, the mentors that Santiago met throughout the book were also very crucial to him reaching his personal legend. He met the gypsy woman who was almost as important as The Alchemist. Without the gypsy woman, Santiago may have interpreted the reoccurring dream he had (his call to adventure) incorrectly and never realized/achieved his personal legend. Another important character to the story was The Old King. He tells Santiago â€Å"They show that, when we strive to be better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. †(Coelho 150) There are many steps to achieving your personal legend. Everyone has one, but not everyone can fulfill their legend. One must first realize what it is and then go from there. In Santiago’s case, his three most important steps were his call to adventure, the tests, allies, and enemies he encountered, and the mentors he met along the way. How to cite The Alchemist, Essay examples The Alchemist Free Essays Having the ability to succeed to your personal legend, and find self discovery allows people to open their minds and see the world for what it really is and how everything has a purpose in life. The story The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, Santiago makes great change from beginning, to the end of his journey. From the start Santiago is just a shepherd with a small flock of sheep but when he learns of his personal legend, all of this changes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Alchemist or any similar topic only for you Order Now Initially, Santiago thinks he has fulfilled his goal by roaming the hills of Andalusia by being a simply shepherd. He believes that being a shepherd is a way of traveling but he never thought about what else could be out in the world. However, an old man who claims is the king of Salem comes to Santiago to give him the chance to travel more and see the greatness of the world, and to find his own personal legend. In the end, Santiago travels much farther than he ever dreamed about and see that everything in life is connected and becomes his own alchemist.Often in life, people are content with doing the same every day chores because there heart shows fear when they dream about dropping everything to find their own personal legend, because people do this they never succeed in finding true happiness or self – discovery through the journey they should have followed. However, if people can open up their mind to seeing the world around them they can follow their personal legend to its conclusion, since it is a person’s only real obligation in life.According to Undrai Fizer, â€Å"When you have discovered your destiny in God, you have just found the compass of life. Your destiny is the purpose or intentions of God for your life. † Therefore, an understanding of our destiny is important to improve our stay here on Earth. Initially, the protagonist wants to stay with his flock of sheep and be a simple shepherd who travels the hills of Andalusia. But Paulo Coelho teaches us the importance of self- discovery by taking us through the journey of a young shepherd, Santiago.Santiago’s depth of self- discovery at the beginning of the novel are shallow, and we see this when Coelho perceives him believing that travelling through Andalusia and experiencing a life as a shepherd is all he wanted to live for. A life of shepherding, Santiago feels was his dream. But something sparks; a dream that makes him realize that maybe just maybe there is more beyond simply travelling and seeing those castles and towns where others lived. Coelho justifies a turning point in Santiago where he will begin a pursuit of self discovery, all due to a reoccurring dream of hidden treasure. He is advised by a gypsy woman and an old man, King of Salem to seek out his dream that hold’s significance. â€Å"Never stop dreaming† the old man said. This makes Santiago’s want to achieve more in his life and experience the world that he has wanted to travel, by selling his flock of sheep to the King he heads off to a place where he will soon be taught how to read omens and to find his own personal legend. Santiago’s seeking and learning of the treasure is what will begin the journey which teaches us something about self discovery through this young shepherd. How to cite The Alchemist, Papers The Alchemist Free Essays