The Alchemist

Written by Paulo Coelho, this wonderful short book is about a boy who keeps getting a dream about a hidden treasure in Pyramids of the Egypt. Not knowing whether to trust his dreams or carry on his life as a shepherd, he is faced with the decision to make, the decision that all of us face in our lives at some point – whether ‘to leave the comfort zone and follow the dream’ OR ‘to stay in the comfort zone and let the dreams succumb to a slow death’. While being still indecisive, boy takes on the task of gathering more knowledge about the Pyramids. After seeking advise from a Gypsy and the events that follow, the boy decides to give up everything and to go on the pursuit of his dreams. During his journey he meets an english man who has been traveling all over the world to find the ‘Alchemist’ who can turn anything into gold. Englishman shares his knowledge of alchemy, pyramids while they travel together in the desert. Story of a glass trader whose only dream was to go to Mecca and through out his life he makes excuse of not having enough money, after getting enough money, he still does not go to Mecca, the boy enquires the reason now that he got enough money and trader’s answer may strike many of us as a thunderbolt, trader says “this is the only dream that keeps me alive if I fulfill it now, I would have no dreams to live for”. Life can be larger, larger than it is now, but it cannot be larger than the dreams that one has. We found it to be an exciting journey with the boy in this book with many revelations that are so subtly vowen into this fable, it reinforced the mystic. One of my favorite excerpt from this book is “When you want something with all your heart, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.