


The woman interprets it as a prophecy, telling the boy that he will discover a treasure at the Egyptian pyramids.Īfter Santiago sets out he meets an old king, Melchizedek, or the king of Salem, who tells him to sell his sheep so as to travel to Egypt and accomplish his "Personal Legend". He consults a Gypsy fortune-teller about the meaning of the recurring dream. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there.Īn Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago dreams of a treasure while in a ruined church.

Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. The Alchemist ( Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988.
