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A review by tori_storydelver
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
5.0
I had heard mixed reviews about The Alchemist, it seemed like you either love it or you hate it. Then I read it and I couldn't imagine how it could get such terrible reviews. After reading the reviews I understood. So many people have interpreted this story much differently then I did. Everyone (on both sides of the scale) are saying this book is about following your dreams, but it really isn't. Dreams can be fleeting, there are things you may desire in life that you will never achieve no matter how much you work for it. The boy in this story was not following his "dreams" he was following his calling. There are things in life that no matter how hard you try to ignore them or move on to something else they will continue to resurface. Those are what the author is talking about when he says personal legends.
I understand it is annoying when someone whose irresponsible and has poor work ethic talks about how much they love this book and uses it as justification to not work and just follow their other passions. I would be annoyed too. But this story doesn't condone that behavior. Santiago works hard and overcomes obstacles to get to the pyramids. He made lots of money at the crystal shop and could have stopped there and lived a happy enough life, but he ventured on. He fell in love with a girl and could have stayed there and lived a very fulfilling life with his family, but he took a chance and hoped that she would still be waiting when he got back. He got all the way to the pyramids just to find out the treasure was where he started from. The moral of this story was not (in my mind) that the treasure was right there the whole time. The moral was that the journey is the treasure, that learning how to run a successful business, meeting the love of your life, experiencing and learning from things outside your comfort zone are truly valuable. If you just want to make money stay where you are you can make yourself rich anywhere. If you want to find true value in life then keep an open mind, explore when you can, and never stop learning from the things and people around you.
I understand it is annoying when someone whose irresponsible and has poor work ethic talks about how much they love this book and uses it as justification to not work and just follow their other passions. I would be annoyed too. But this story doesn't condone that behavior. Santiago works hard and overcomes obstacles to get to the pyramids. He made lots of money at the crystal shop and could have stopped there and lived a happy enough life, but he ventured on. He fell in love with a girl and could have stayed there and lived a very fulfilling life with his family, but he took a chance and hoped that she would still be waiting when he got back. He got all the way to the pyramids just to find out the treasure was where he started from. The moral of this story was not (in my mind) that the treasure was right there the whole time. The moral was that the journey is the treasure, that learning how to run a successful business, meeting the love of your life, experiencing and learning from things outside your comfort zone are truly valuable. If you just want to make money stay where you are you can make yourself rich anywhere. If you want to find true value in life then keep an open mind, explore when you can, and never stop learning from the things and people around you.