Pursuing one's personal journey is the main concept in “The Alchemist”. Everyone has one, some seek to live it and others never chase after it. The crystal merchant is one of the ones that chose not to go after it and never took any risks. Santiago is the exact opposite, he never stops pursuing his journey and is destined to achieve it. Many lessons can be learned from the crystal merchant, such as fear of failure, regret, and pursuit of one's dreams. Santiago walks into a small town that he was unfamiliar with and makes a friend who ends up robbing him. After he is robbed, he begins to search for a way to make his money back and he stumbles upon the crystal merchant’s shop. The crystal shop was successful for a while, but business wasn't as good anymore and the shop fell off. Santiago offered new ideas that would spark business and bring in customers. …show more content…
Santiago's journey is guided by a deep sense of purpose and spiritual fulfillment, whereas the crystal merchant's motivations are primarily driven by material concerns. Throughout the novel, Santiago learns valuable lessons about the true nature of wealth and happiness, realizing that true fulfillment comes from following one's heart and pursuing one's dreams, rather than accumulating material possessions.”Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life”(coelho65). In contrast, the crystal merchant remains fixated on maximizing profits and expanding his business, believing that material wealth is the key to happiness. However, despite his financial success, the crystal merchant ultimately finds himself feeling unfulfilled and empty, highlighting the emptiness of a life driven solely by material pursuits. “Thats what helps me face these days are all the same, these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner at the same horrible cafe.
The crystal merchant had few customers, but once the crystal was cleaned, a larger crowd was attracted to his storefront. Santiago would receive a much needed meal, as well as a job offer. Freshly cleaned crystal attracted many customers, which caused the crystal merchant to offer Santiago a full-time position, with pay. Like an alchemist, Santiago went from being in poverty, to being successful. Santiago also turned a negative into a positive for the crystal merchant. The crystal merchant’s shop did not appear inviting to potential customers, but Santiago rectified it, which in turn, caused the shop to receive more customers and generate a greater profit. Santiago is a metaphorical alchemist. He turns the worst into the best, just as an alchemist turns base metals into gold.
The crystal merchant spends his life wallowing in fear and anxiety and does not let himself grow or move from the spot he made for himself thirty years ago despite the clear logistical option of going to Mecca and seeing his wife once more. The merchant and Santiago share parallels as the merchant’s reluctancy to leave his spot due to overwhelming anxiety parallels Santiago’s inability to move forward due to one bad experience that left him broken and broke. After living with this merchant and working for him for so long, the boy realizes he needs to move forward despite any negative experiences. Bad things happen sometimes, but he realizes no good comes out of staying in one spot just to ease the pain of one small event over the course of your entire life. Therefore, Santiago’s direct speech and physicality near the merchant had forced him to view and face his fear
Not before long, Santiago meets a crystal merchant. Trying to run away from his Personal Legend once again, he gets a job at the
Some people in the book assisted Santiago on his guide, but the Alchemist inspired him to not give up. He said, ‘“At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to
Santiago becomes friends with the king who shares a lot of advice and wisdom with him and his enemy is the robber who stole his money also and fatima is his lover and he pages 82-116 tp 143-182 he shows how he learns from everyone and how the desert is so much more than he thought of. By revealing his own failures, the crystal merchant teaches Santiago that dreams can be dangerous, prompting Santiago to stay and give up his dream. The crystal merchant shows the boy the Soul of the World, revealing that the crystal shop was the boy's prize all along. By sharing his story and his regrets, the crystal merchant teaches the boy that some people would rather fantasize about their dreams than live them. The crystal merchant allowed his opportunity to pass him by, teaching Santiago that you only have
The Alchemist is his mentor throughout his journey that gives him advice throughout the journey and helps him become more stoic and the alchemist instows wisdom into Santiago that within itself improves him as a person. This wisdom helps Santiago find his inner self and connect to himself in a way he learns to go towards his own wishes and why he chooses to make certain decisions for himself, he learns to understand himself and what he wants and what will improve him on the journey, not anyone else. The alchemist's teachings allow Santiago to find himself and follow his
Through their interactions, Santiago learns the importance of following his Personal Legend from the crystal merchant's own unfulfilled dreams. The crystal merchant tells Santiago that when he was young, he wanted to go to Mecca. Santiago then asks him why he doesn’t go to Mecca now, and the crystal merchant replies with, "Because it's the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That's what helps me face these days that are all the same, these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner at that same horrible café. I'm afraid that if my dream is realized, I'll have no reason to go on living."
In Paul Coelho’s novel, The Alchemist, a boy named Santiago is followed through his journey to finding his Personal Legend. Santiago begins his journey as a shepherd with a recurring dream about finding treasure, so he visits a gypsy woman because he cannot seem to understand where the treasure is located. He gains more insight about this treasure and the importance of his journey through interactions with an old king, an Englishman, a crystal merchant, an alchemist, and other spiritual beliefs. In the end, he eventually finds his treasure at the church where he begins his journey as just a shepherd. Some of the most influential mentors throughout his journey are the old King of Salem, the crystal merchant, and the alchemist.
Many people have dreams throughout their lives, but not very many people are able to achieve them. Santiago had dreams and throughout The Alchemist, he was fate. First, the boy's parents wanted him to be a priest. Santiago knew that, that's not what he wanted to do. Santiago wanted to travel the world and with the help of his sheep, he was able to. Second, the boy meets Melchizedek, who is the king of Salem. Melchizedek told Santiago about the Personal legends and about his treasure he was having dreams about. The king, however, would not tell Santiago how to get to his treasure unless he sold one- tenth of his sheep. Third, while the boy was traveling through Tangier, he worked for a crystal merchant. The longer Santiago worked for the
The Crystal Merchant serves as a mentor to Santiago by imparting wisdom and guidance. “The people will enjoy the tea and want to buy the glasses”. I have been told that beauty is the great seducer of men,” (p. 58). This quote shows how the Crystal Merchant shared his knowledge and experience with Santiago, guiding him on the path to success in their business venture. “I’ve had this shop for thirty years.
Santiago decides to buy a ticket for a boat to Tangier, North Africa. When he arrives there, a thief steals all of Santiago’s money. He then begins to work at a crystal merchant’s shop where he makes several decisions indicated by omens that improve business for the man’s shop. After Santiago had worked at the shop for 11 months he had made enough money to either travel to the pyramids, or go home to Andalusia as a rich man.
Through his journey from becoming a shepherd boy to a very well-informed boy, Santiago's character development in “The Alchemist” shows the power of following one's dream despite the challenges that are gonna be faced. In The Alchemist, we learn about a young boy whose dream is to find a hidden treasure. As his journey continues, Santiago goes through many changes, teaching us many lessons about pursuing dreams, embracing challenges, and listening to our hearts. Santiago's pursuit of dreams begins with his decision to leave his life as a shepherd boy and begin his journey to find his legend. It was a big moment for him because it showed his courage to get out of his comfort zone and take risks to pursue his dreams.
When Santiago arrives in Tangier he is robbed by a thief and is forced to find work from the locals. He meets a crystal merchant and gets hired to work for him. Santiago convinces the merchant to take some risks in his business. This advice pays off and Santiago becomes a rich man in just a year. Santiago stars to gain confidence in his decisions and decides to use his earning to pursue his personal legend. Santiago soon joins a caravan crossing the Sahara desert and meets an Englishman who is studying to become an Alchemist. On the trip Santiago and the Englishman don’t converse much but Santiago still ends up learning a lot
Throughout Santiago’s journey to fulfil his Personal Legend the boy is rewarded with not only treasure as a physical substance but also in the form of knowledge gained and experiences lived. Santiago is aware of the importance of his treasure in all forms and displays this awareness after finding the chest of Spanish gold coins, “He placed Urim and Thummim in the chest. They were also a part of his new treasure, because they were a reminder of the old king, whom he would never see again” (pg. 88). Thus, Santiago’s character portrays the message that once a destiny is realised and fulfilled, the pursuer will be rewarded in many forms. Contrastingly, the crystal merchant in which temporarily employs Santiago, is a character used in juxtaposition to show the danger of fear and the life of one who will never fulfil
A problem which I have observed at my school is people on their cell phones during class. There are few problems at my school but this one stands out the most to me. I believe cell phones should not be out during class unless specifically allowed by the teacher. It only takes one person not following the rules to get everyone’s phones taken up by the teacher or for phones to be banned in that class.