The Alchemist

Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, dreams repeatedly of a treasure buried at the foot of the Egyptian pyramids. Encouraged by a mysterious old king who speaks of a Personal Legend — the destiny each of us is meant to fulfill — he sells his flock and sets out across the sea to Africa in search of it.

His journey takes him through the markets of Tangier, across the Sahara with a caravan, and into the orbit of an English scholar and a desert alchemist, each of whom teaches him to read the omens of the world and listen to his own heart. Along the way he falls in love, loses everything more than once, and slowly learns that the treasure he seeks may not be the one he set out to find.

Paulo Coelho's international bestseller is a spare, parable-like tale about following one's dreams, reading the language of the universe, and the idea that the whole world conspires to help those who pursue their true purpose.