The Alchemist: End

This book is pretty predictable, so there is nothing to really spoil in this post. The basis of story seems like a fairy tale almost. I don’t know where the story originates from, but the author is Brazilian, and the shepherd is Brazilian. So maybe it comes from a Brazilian tale. The shepherd goes through with a plan to travel to Egypt to find the treasure. The old man from my last post says that it is his Personal Legend to find this treasure. “Personal Legend” is essentially the meaning in life for a person. Everyone’s Personal Legend is different.

He eventually saves enough money to make his journey from Brazil to Egypt. However when he arrives, the only way to get to the pyramids is via camel, so the journey takes several days. Along the way he meets the Alchemist, who is famed for being 200-years old. He can turn lead into gold and can make the Elixir of Life. The shepherd’s relationship with The Alchemist reminded me of Mr. Miyagi and Daniel in The Karate Kid. The Alchemist makes the boy do things that seem insignificant and don’t serve a purpose beyond teach patience, however there is a lesson behind everything. Like Daniel-son waxing the car, teach him how to swipe away basic punches, the shepherd boy learns about his own Personal Legend along the way.

I was wrong in predicting that the boy would only learn moral lessons. In the end, he actually finds a treasure with diamonds and stuff to my surprise. He ends up marrying a different girl that isn’t the merchant’s daughter. I suppose this teaches him the lesson that some things are only steps toward your true Personal Legend, this being one of the lessons in the story that the shepherd learns. Overall, this was a very relaxing and interesting story to read.