★★★☆☆ (3/5)

This is one of the most widely known modern fables about following one’s dreams. The novel tells the story of Santiago, a young shepherd who leaves his home in Spain to pursue his dream, which leads him on a journey across the desert in search of treasure.

Along the way, Santiago meets different characters who help guide him, including a king, a crystal merchant, and the alchemist himself. Through these encounters, the story explores themes such as destiny, intuition, perseverance, and the importance of listening to one’s heart.

At its core, The Alchemist is a simple and symbolic story about pursuing dreams and believing in the path life places in front of us. The storytelling is straightforward and almost fable-like, which makes the book easy to read and accessible to a wide audience.

However, while reading it, I had mixed feelings. I can imagine that if I had read this book some years earlier, my rating might have been higher. Sometimes the moment in which we read a book shapes how we experience it, and in my case I struggled with some parts of the narrative.

Although I appreciated the overall message about following your dreams and not giving up, there were moments in the story that made me pause. One example is the relationship with Fatima. She is portrayed as someone who is willing to wait indefinitely while Santiago continues his journey to fulfill his destiny. While this is meant to represent unconditional love and understanding, it also felt, at times, like it diminished the role of women in the story.

Personally, I find it difficult to fully agree with the idea that someone who truly loves another person should simply wait for them for an undefined amount of time while they pursue their dreams. For me, love is more about sharing a journey together rather than putting one life on hold for the other.

Despite these reservations, I still appreciated the storytelling style. Paulo Coelho has a way of presenting philosophical ideas through simple narratives and symbols, which is one of the reasons this book resonates with so many readers around the world.

In the end, even though some aspects didn’t resonate with me personally, I can understand why it continues to be such a widely loved book.