Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy content to wander through the Spanish fields and towns with his faithful flcok until a recurring dream about finding his treasure at the Pyramids of Egypt rousts him from complacency. In trying to understand his dream, Santiago encounters a wise old man who calls himself Melchizedek, the King of Salem, who sets the boy off on a quest to discover his Personal Legend
There are few books that have transported me so completely. I read The Alchemist in a sitting and was blown away by the treasure that I had found. Santiago’s quest is universal and serves as a powerful allegory for all readers.
