The Alchemist

By: Paulo Coelho

This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a meditation on the treasures found within.

Auuster's Takeaway

This is a great adventure novel about finding one’s self. A shepherd’s boy is pushed to start an adventure in search of a fabled treasure. The adventure leads him across deserts and he meet a gypsy, a king and an alchemist. Throughout the entire trip he is distracted by the chance of attaining monumental wealth. He returns home failing the retrieve the treasure. At the end of the book, he finds the treasure behind a church where he dreamed about it partly through his adventure.