The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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⭐ The Alchemist by The Alchemist — ⭐ 1/5 Stars | A Short Book That Somehow Felt… Endless 😅

🚨 Trigger Warnings

  • Mild violence (tribal conflict)

  • Theft

  • Spiritual / philosophical themes (heavy)

  • Existential questioning

  • Dreams & fate-based determinism

✨ How I Ended Up Reading This

So picture this: I’m on a cruise, minding my own business, living my best life 🌊🍹… when I make the rookie mistake of telling people I love to read.

Because what happens next?

Everyone becomes a walking Goodreads recommendation machine.

Enter: a Romanian Canadian (iconic, honestly) who tells me I must read Paulo Coelho.

And I’m like… who? 😳

Cue me Googling and realizing this man is basically a global literary icon, and I’ve somehow missed that entirely. So naturally, I bump The Alchemist to the top of my list.

Reader… I regret everything.

🤔 Overview: What Is This Book Even Supposed to Be?

Published in 1988, The Alchemist is often described as:

  • Philosophical fiction

  • Magical realism

  • A fable about destiny

Translation: it’s basically one long parable disguised as a novel.

It follows Santiago, a shepherd who dreams of treasure and sets off on a journey to find it—while learning about his so-called “Personal Legend.”

Sounds meaningful.

…we’ll see.

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING — FULL PLOT & ENDING BELOW ⚠️

(Yes, I’m telling you everything so you can decide if this is worth your time 😌)

📖 Full Plot Summary (With Spoilers)

🐑 The Beginning: Sheep, Dreams & Impulsive Choices

Santiago is a shepherd in Spain who keeps having the same dream: there’s treasure buried near the Egyptian pyramids.

Instead of brushing it off, he:

  • Visits a dream interpreter (who asks for 10% of the treasure 💀)

  • Meets a mysterious old man named Melchizedek

Melchizedek introduces the idea of a Personal Legend—basically your life’s purpose—and tells Santiago that his treasure is in Egypt.

In exchange for this wisdom, Santiago gives him a tenth of his sheep, which feels like a bold financial decision based on one conversation.

Encouraged to follow omens, Santiago sells his flock and sets off for Africa.

🏜️ The Middle: Wandering… and More Wandering

Almost immediately upon arriving in Africa, Santiago is robbed.

So now he:

  • Works for a crystal merchant for nearly a year

  • Learns Arabic

  • Saves enough money to either go home… or keep going

At this point, I thought: okay, now we’re getting somewhere.

We were not.

He joins a caravan across the desert and meets:

  • An Englishman obsessed with alchemy

  • A steady stream of philosophical conversations

Eventually, they reach an oasis where:

  • Santiago falls instantly in love with Fatima

  • Decides she’s worth leaving immediately to continue chasing treasure

Romance speed: aggressive.

🧙‍♂️ The Alchemist (Finally Shows Up…)

Santiago meets the alchemist, who:

  • Speaks almost entirely in riddles

  • Encourages him to trust omens and the universe

  • Pushes him to continue his journey

At one point, Santiago is required to prove himself… and somehow turns himself into the wind.

Yes. The wind. 🌬️

Still processing that.

⚔️ A Sudden Battle Because Why Not

Santiago sees two hawks fighting and interprets it as a vision that the oasis will be attacked.

He warns the leaders.

They believe him immediately (no follow-up questions), and:

  • A battle happens

  • The oasis is saved

  • Santiago is rewarded

Because clearly, bird behavior doubles as military forecasting.

🏜️ The Ending: The “Twist”

Santiago finally reaches Egypt and starts digging for treasure.

Immediately:

  • He gets beaten up by thieves

One of the thieves laughs and says he once had a dream about treasure buried in Spain under a tree—but he wasn’t foolish enough to chase it.

Reader.

THE TREASURE.

IS BACK.

WHERE HE STARTED.

So Santiago:

  • Travels all the way back to Spain

  • Returns to the abandoned church

  • Digs under the tree

…and finds the treasure 💰

The end.

🫠 My Thoughts: What Was the Point?

I understand what this book is trying to say:

  • Follow your dreams

  • Trust the journey

  • Everything happens for a reason

But here’s the issue:

👉 This entire book reads like one extended motivational quote.

And not even a particularly insightful one.

At no point did I feel:

  • 🤯 Mind blown

  • 💡 Enlightened

  • ❤️ Emotionally moved

Instead, I was mostly:

  • 😐 “Where is this going?”

  • 😐 “Still going?”

  • 😐 “That’s it?”

📉 What Didn’t Work for Me

  • Repetitive messaging — we get it, Personal Legend 🙃

  • Flat characters — Santiago has the personality of a paper towel

  • Minimal tension — everything feels oddly easy or convenient

  • Heavy-handed themes — zero subtlety

  • Short but feels long — an impressive feat

🤷‍♀️ Any Redeeming Qualities?

To be fair:

  • It’s easy to read ✔️

  • It’s short ✔️

  • It might resonate with some readers ✔️

But for me?

That’s where it ends.

🧾 Final Verdict

I really wanted to like this—especially given how beloved Paulo Coelho is.

But ultimately, it felt like:
👉 A drawn-out parable
👉 With a very obvious message
👉 That didn’t justify the journey

At least now I won’t have to say I’ve never heard of him.

I just might… avoid his recommendations on future cruises 😅

⭐ Rating: 1/5 Stars

📚 If You Wanted Something Similar (But Better…)

If you like reflective or philosophical reads but want more depth:

  • Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

  • The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel

  • The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

  • A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

If you want, I can turn this into your shorter Goodreads version next—same opinion, just a little more bite-sized 😏

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