Throwback book review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Previously reviewed: 22 November 2018
Rating: 5/5

We’re back to another throwback book review, this time looking at the inspiring story by Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist.

You ever have those moments where you hear a reference to something, and then for the next few days it seems like everyone’s talking about it. Your social media is feeding you ads about this specific thing, and you just feel like its following you around?

That’s what happened with me back in 2018 when it came to The Alchemist. I had never heard the book before until I heard it in a Macklemore lyric. Then, I kept on hearing people talk about this amazing little story that was inspiring them. Before I knew it, I had someone at the place I worked at in 2018 recommending me to read it.

Why do I want to return to it now? Strangely enough, there’s been some things happening in my life that have had me thinking about this book. So, I thought it only right to come back to it and reflect on how I feel about it now after all these years, and why it’s been on my mind.

We all—or at least I know I do—dream about what it would be like if the stars aligned and we were able to work and live doing the things we love. If you sat down with yourself and thought about what it is you want the most, would it be what you have now? 

Luckily for me, I do really enjoy my job and love what I am able to achieve through it and its connection with community. However, there are many things I am very passionate about that my job doesn’t include—This is kind of where TaleInfero steps in, and I’ll get into that later.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho takes the above and really puts it into perspective by asking the question: What is my Personal Legend?

Your first question may be ‘what do you mean by Personal Legend?’. Basically, this is another way of saying your ultimate goal, or what brings the most joy in your life—like what you’re destined to do that brings about a deep joy. It provides purpose, and if we stray away from it, we find ourselves feeling empty or lost.

This is explored through the story of a young shepherd, Santiago. He keeps having this reoccurring dream, so he talks to a fortune teller about it who directs him to go search for treasure by the Egyptian Pyramids.

This journey takes him to a strange man called Melchizedek, the King of Salem. This is where Santiago learns about the notions of the Personal Legend and the Soul of the World (which pretty much means that everything is connected). 

It’s also through Melchizedek that we begin to consider how we control our own fates, and that through this we must identify our destinies to achieve true happiness. This is also emphasised further with the use of a white stone and a black stone that Melchizedek provides to Santiago—Urim and Thummin—that provide a physical reminder of “yes” and “no” for Santiago on his journey, and the power that comes with decision making.

As Santiago sets out on his journey with this newfound wisdom from Melchizedek, he meets many people along the way. We can see ourselves in these people as they’re really just like us—they’re working in jobs that help pay the bills and put food on the table. They’re content with life, although they acknowledge it could be better.

Through Santiago and his influence, dream and passion, he is able to transform their thinking in getting them to consider what their Personal Legends are. What have they missed out? What haven’t they done?

It’s through these moments and scenes that the reader pictures themselves in the characters and begins asking themselves the same questions. We could be the candy maker, the crystal merchant or the would-be alchemist. Whoever in the story, we are able to connect with them on some level.
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This book is incredibly spiritual, not just in the themes explored in this story, but also in how it makes us feel. The ongoing reminder about Personal Legends in this book stems from this spiritual feeling of purpose and destiny. The book’s title--The Alchemist—stems from one of the characters, but the essence of alchemy is also a loop back into the theme of Personal Legends.

If you’re unaware, alchemists are people who practiced alchemy, and generally were in the pursuit of purifying or perfecting materials, such as turning metal into gold or creating the elixir of immortality (think the Philosopher’s stone, for example).

With this in mind, alchemy is, in itself, taking a metal and moving it through its own Personal Legend by turning it into gold.

What is also an important theme to note throughout this book is in regard to our feelings of fear. The crystal merchant, for example, exhibits a fear of pursuing their dreams and Personal Legend due to the safety of their routine and the foreboding feeling of ‘what next?’ once that dream is complete. As a result, the crystal merchant continues their life unhappy.

It’s through this, plus other scenes throughout the story where we’re faced with the fears that the characters feel, that we’re faced with the concept that fear of pursuing our Personal Legend results in us being unfulfilled and not truly happy.

As someone who personally tangos with fear quite often in my day-to-day decisions and choices, it really does hit home to be reminded that the fear I feel can actually hold me back from truly being happy and fulfilled.

By the end of this book, Santiago finishes his journey and finds what it is he’s been looking for. However, it’s different to what he originally thought it would be. It’s in this moment we consider: was it the journey that was fruitful, or the result? It’s the age-old adage: it’s the journey, not the destination.

However, it’s also incredibly relatable to consider that when we pursue our goals and push past our fears, the end result may not be exactly what we were looking or hoping for. And that’s OK.

When I first read and reviewed this back in 2018, I reflected on how people reacted to this story and how they felt about it. The common theme was that people were actually quite upset because they didn’t know what their Personal Legend was, or if they missed the chance to follow it.

It was interesting to hear those responses back then. It shows how powerful and thought-provoking this book is, and how it forces us to really consider when or how we should follow our dreams while truly highlighting the fear we hold in pursuing these dreams.
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Thinking about this book now, I find myself in a really unique position in feeling like I’m on the right journey in pursuing my Personal Legend.

Back in 2018, I had reflected in my review my connection with the story, in particular the notion that we figure out our Personal Legend when we are younger but lose it when we’re older. Back then, I noted my love for reading and writing when I was younger, and how all I wanted to be when I was growing up was a writer and to be surrounded by stories.

And, while I was working on TaleInferno back then, I hadn’t quite found my feet in the world, and I still held a lot of fear the unknown, so much so I paused TaleInferno when it felt like to was getting a bit too much on top of all the scary adult things and decisions I was facing at the time: finishing university, work, buying a house.

Now, it feels like things have fallen into place in a nice way, and while there is still an ongoing, subtle fear of ‘should I be doing this? Am I doing it right?’, right now, I have never felt more fulfilled.

I have found myself in a really nice position where I can find a nice balance between my day-to-day work (which I do really love) and sharing my love for storytelling and experiencing new stories through TaleInferno. I’ve also found myself taking more time to actually sit down and write creatively—something I don’t get to do very often and brings me a whole lot of joy when I do.
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I’m not sure exactly what my Personal Legend is. However, I think I’m on the right path towards it.

So, what did I like? Everything. This book isn’t complicated—it’s quite simple and short. It’s not full of extravagant passages of fancy descriptions that make me go ‘wow, how impressive and profound’. Instead, it’s to the point, and provides a really clear, inspiring story about listening to our hearts and pursuing our Personal Legends.

While I read this back in 2018, it still holds a significant place in my mind and is something I keep coming back to from time to time. However, it may surprise you to find that I don’t think I’ll read it again any time soon. Hence the throwback book review.

Why? It’s not because I don’t like the book—as I mentioned before, I liked everything about it. However, it’s not a book that I need to read multiple times. Once feels enough for me right now as it still sits so prevalently in my mind. It’s not to say I won’t eventually go back to it—it just won’t be for a while.

And, to keep this review consistent with others, what didn’t I like? Nothing. This is a very easy 5/5 rating for me. No criticisms on my side. It says what it needs to say and does so in a beautifully simplistic way.

So, with that, I want to finish this review off like I did back in 2018—with a quotation that I really connected with then, and I still connect with now.

If a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.

What are your thoughts on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho? Did you find it as inspiring as me? Has it helped you discover your own Personal Legend? Let me know in the comments!

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