The Alchemist

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams."

Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come.

The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.

The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

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Published Apr 25, 2006

197 pages

Average rating: 7.66

1,663 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Oree
Jun 25, 2025
10/10 stars
This book wasn't what I expected. I've wanted to read it for so long and I'm glad I finally read it at this point in my life.
LTC
Nov 20, 2024
Book #51: Abby's selection, this meeting was originally scheduled to be discussed on 7/21/17, hosted Abby & Ro but had to be cancelled. It was then to be held at a Turkish restaurant in Astoria, Queens (hosted by Abby & Ro) but it never took place. It finally took place via Zoom on 3/19/21!
huggyjc
Jun 03, 2024
10/10 stars
Hope everyone enjoyed this read and found inspiration to go after your 'Personal Legend'! Can't wait to meet up and discuss.
KikiStoneCreek
Jun 03, 2023
4/10 stars
Not my style of book.
Silentchaos
Jun 30, 2025
9/10 stars
The book was recommended to me so many times but I read it when I guess I was destined to. The book says that if you dare to belive in your dreams universe has a way of getting it done for you. Just follow the process

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