Summary of The Alchemist - Book Report/Review Example

The story is about Santiago’s necessity to realize that many people who love him will not come in his way of pursuing his dreams. While he has to understand the importance of realizing his dreams, Santiago needs control over his fear of failure and defeat, which he may face, as he continues his quest for fortune.The characters of the story include, apart from Santiago, the gypsy woman, the old king, the crystal merchant, and the English man. The story tells the alchemist being a 200-year-old man, who lives at the Al-Fayoum oasis, this man has an intuition of Santiago coming to him and thus Alchemist feels his responsibility to lead and guide him in his pursuits.

All these characters play an important role in his quest. As Santiago dreams about a child leading him to the pyramids of Egypt, the gypsy woman motivates him for going there, while Santiago meets the old king, who teaches him about the omens. As he buys a ticket for going to Tangier, Santiago is robbed of all his money, after he arrives there. Accordingly, Santiago has to work for the crystal merchant for almost one year, to collect money for returning home. (The Alchemist)Like all those who want to realize their dreams, Santiago needs doing something different and in this direction, he must trust completely the Alchemist, although the man may look mysterious and unreliable.

He surely has the knowledge, which Santiago can use.