Life-altering encounter with ‘The Alchemist’

The title sounded innocuous enough – The Alchemist, the English version of the original Portuguese book O Alquimista by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. The slim volume, loaned to me by an officemate whose ebullient enthusiasm for it should have clued me in to what was to come, innocently lay on my desk beside my computer. Calculating that I could easily knock this one out in one sitting (later, during the usual long wait at a client’s lobby before another meeting, perhaps?), I began to leaf through its pages, expecting nothing more than a light, entertaining romp through some exotic world. I was a thoroughly unsuspecting reader, unaware that the wheels that would steer my life, irrevocably, into a new direction had just been set in motion.

The Alchemist is the story of a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago whose wish to travel beyond his little village drew him to his profession. After dreaming the same dream twice, about a treasure awaiting him on the other side of the world – by the Egyptian pyramids – he decides to heed the voice of his subconscious and promptly sells his sheep in pursuit of this treasure. Through what seems an endless succession of obstacles, Santiago searches for his treasure with a passion previously unknown to him. By the time he encounters the title character in an oasis in the Sahara desert, the young shepherd is convinced the treasure is, in fact, his destiny. This belief is reinforced when he meets Fatima, the love of his life, also at the oasis. Rather than asking him to stay – as he had expected and was prepared to do – she urges him to continue on towards his treasure, and assures him she will wait for him until his journey is over, for "love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love."

At a mere 117 pages, the book is a surprising little heavyweight. Its narrative – straightforward, unpretentious – belies the wisdom laden in every line. In fact, so totally is it bereft of literary pyrotechnics that some have even dismissed it as rather simplistic, cliché-ish and generally not sophisticated enough. But as a line in the book says: "It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary."

And The Alchemist is one such extraordinary thing. Its strength lies in its simple plot, its short, bite-sized sentences – the better for the reader to slowly take them in, allowing for much reflection and contemplation.

Granted, the book doesn’t have anything particularly new or fantastic to say. What it does, however, is present the wisdom of the ages in a new and interesting way. And if we allow ourselves to leave the comforts of our cynicism and peel away at the layers of the clichés in the story, we will discover the essential truths on which even the worst clichés are built on in the first place. And consequently, benefit from them.

Clearly, Coelho is out to reach a great many number of people as possible by crafting his message in a most non-alienating manner. And he is right to do so, for what he has to say is too important to be limited to a select few: the assertion that "to realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation." And that when a person sets out to realize his destiny, to follow his dream, "all the universe conspires to help him achieve it."

Santiago’s experience becomes a kind of template for the personal journey each of us is called to have. It is not an easy one, the story repeatedly cautions. Many times, we will feel like throwing in the towel and settling for any kind of life, anything that doesn’t include a struggle to find our purpose, our reason for being. But – and I’ve always believed this – "life is generous to those who pursue their destiny." There are indescribable joys and unparalleled peace and fulfillment to be had on the path leading to our greatest dreams.

One thing I’ve come to realize about the power of literature (or any art form, for that matter) in effecting change is that the context in which we come across a particular work is as important as the work itself, and sometimes, even more so. Because while literature does wonders in opening our eyes to certain paradigms, it is us the readers who are entirely responsible for the consequent shifts. Literature, in other words, is only as powerful and life-changing as we allow it to be. Timing is vital; a particular work will have a different impact at various stages of our lives. We may come upon a certain work, for instance, at a time when we are least ready for it, thus lessening its effectiveness.

I suppose what happened with me and The Alchemist is that I had stumbled upon it at a time when I was most ripe for a change. The book’s theme may have bolstered an inner suspicion that I was meant to be at a place other than where I was. After 15 months of vainly ignoring what that voice inside me was saying, I finally had the courage to turn in my resignation at a job that, for the most part, made me feel that I shouldn’t even be paid – it was just so much fun. Which made the decision to leave all the more difficult. But something larger and more potent had beckoned, and, frankly, I was more scared of shushing my heart than simply going where it pointed.

And just like that, my life began to undergo an alchemy all its own. As an alchemist turns lead into gold, The Alchemist sparked my transformation from a rather clueless person to someone who finally knew where she was headed.