THE ALCHEMIST Part 2

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The Crystal Merchant

20. How is the crystal merchant introduced in the novel? What is your first impression of him?
He is introduced when Santiago is in Tangier and he gets robbed and needs a job. My first
impression was that he was a nice man and would have significance in Santiagos journey.
21. The crystal merchant has a dream of going to Mecca but has never acted on it. What reasons
does he give for not pursuing this dream?
He was worried that after he would not have anything to live for after and the rest of his life
would not compare.

22. The crystal merchant says, “I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go
on living.” What does this reveal about his character? How does fear of the unknown affect his
decisions?
This reveals that he is afraid of his dream and that he lets his fears get in the way of his dreams.
This affects his decisions by stopping him from anything he is afraid of doing.

23. What lessons does Santiago teach the crystal merchant (page 64)?
He teaches him that every blessing that is ignored becomes a curse in his life.
24. How does Santiago’s time at the crystal shop contribute to his personal growth and
understanding of the world?

It shows him to not be afraid when pursuing his personal legend.

The Englishman

25. Who is the Englishman and what do we learn about him?

He is trying to find the alchemist and is in the same caravan as Santiago.

26. What motivates the Englishman to befriend Santiago?
When he finds out he has Urim and Thummim.

27. On page 71, the leader of the caravan provides us with a metaphor about the desert. What
comparison is being made here?
They are comparing the desert to a capricious lady.
28. According to the Englishman, what is the Soul of the World?
To listen to your gut feeling and don’t doubt yourself.

29. What is an alchemist?

A person who has mastered turning any metal into gold and has mastered it.

The Oasis and The Alchemist (pg. 79-104)

30. Explain the Elixir of Life, the Master Work, and the Philosopher’s Stone (page 80-81).
The elixir of life is the liquid part of the master work that cures all illness and keeps the
alchemist from growing old. The Master Work is them being allowed to understand anything in
the world. The philosopher’s stone is the solid part of the Master Work that trunks large
quantities of metal into gold.
31. Why was the alchemist watching people as they entered the oasis from the caravan?
He wasn’t mainly interested in the people but more interested in the environment, like the sand
and the trees. But he was also interested in the caravan because he had an omen to teach
someone in the caravan his knowledge of alchemy.
32. Describe the Oasis
Many wells, date trees and colored tents spread about the large amount of land.

33. What does it mean when a woman in the Oasis is dressed in black? (Keep in mind: this is a
Muslim society!)
It means that they are married to someone.
34. What is the language of the world and how does Santiago learn it?
The language of the world is love and he learns it when he encounters Fatima.

35. Who is Fatima? What agreement do Fatima and Santiago come to?

Fatima is a girl in the oasis that Santiago saw at the well. They agree that he wants to marry her
and they love each other.

The Chieftains and Santiago’s departure (pg. 104-123)

36. Santiago sees two hawks as an omen. What do they signify?

A war coming between the two tribes.

37. What happens when Santiago visits the tribal chieftains to tell them about his vision?
They say that it takes a lot to prepare for war and if his omen is wrong they will kill him.

38. What test do the chieftains outline for Santiago?

He will be payed one piece of gold for every 10 men killed and will be killed if none.
39. Describe Santiago’s first interaction with the Alchemist.
During their first interaction the alchemist tells Santiago to buy a horse instead of a camel.
40. Describe the battle at the oasis.
It was a battle between the two tribes that the oasis side prepared for in advanced.

41. What was Santiago’s reward for saving the oasis?

He became the counselor of the oasis.

42. Describe the “goodbyes” that are said between Fatima and Santiago as he is leaving.
He tells her that he is leaving and that he loves her and the day after she is very sad.

The Alchemists Life Lessons (pg. 123-143)

43. What advice does the alchemist give about listening to one’s heart? Do you agree or
disagree?
He says to follow his personal legend then to go back and follow his heart with Fatima. I do
agree because I think people should try for their dreams and not just give up because of love.

44. The author includes many examples of foreshadowing here. How do we know that Santiago
awaits more trouble on his quest?
We know he awaits more trouble from the foreshadowing because an example was when he had
to make a difficult choice that determines what happens next.

45. What did the Arabs find when they searched the alchemist? Why did they allow the
alchemist to keep the treasure? (pg. 133)
They find the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone. They allow him to keep it because they
don't believe him and think it's a joke.

46. The alchemist tells Santiago, “When you possess great treasures within you, and you try to
tell others of them, seldom are you believed” (page 134).
1) Interpret this quote.
When you have good qualities and try to tell other people of them not often they will believe
you.

2) How can you relate this quote back to your own life?
I can relate to this quote because I know I am good at dance but when I tell people they often
think it’s just a hobby and I don’t do it seriously.

47. What happens when the alchemist and the boy are both taken into the military camp?
The alchemist sets up a test for Santiago telling the soldiers he can destroy the camp with wind.
48. Why would the alchemist set up such a “test” for Santiago?
He did it because he knew Santiago would be able to if he got over his fears.

The Ultimate Test and The Discovery of The Final Treasure (pg. 143-167)
49. As Santiago is attempting to turn himself into the wild, who does he hold conversations
with?
The sun the wind and the desert.
50. Critics apply the term pathetic fallacy to instances in which human characteristics (such as
reason and the ability to speak) are given to parts of the natural world. Based upon this
definition, what three aspects of the natural world are personified in this way during
Santiago’s efforts to turn himself into the wind?

1)the desert

2)wind

3)sun

51. Two people were smiling after Santiago turned himself into the wind. Who were they and
why was each smiling?
The alchemist and the chief were smiling, the alchemist because Santiago found discipline and
the chief because he found the glory of god.

52. What did the alchemist do at the Coptic monastery?

He turns lead into gold.

53. How did the alchemist distribute the gold? Why did he think Santiago might need the gold
later?
He distributed the gold to the poor people of the village and gave Santiago gold for insurance.

54. What is the point of the alchemist’s story about the sons of Roman emperor Tiberius?
That even if someone doesn’t have a destiny that they can follow their desires.

55. What advice did the boy’s heart give him as he approached the Pyramids? What did he do
when he saw the Pyramids?
His heart told him to keep pursuing his personal legend without fear. When he saw the pyramids
he fell to his knees in appreciation.

56. Who approaches Santiago as he digs in the sand, and what did they do?
Survivors who escaped the tribal war came up to Santiago and find the gold the alchemist gave
him.

57. What story does one attacker tell Santiago?

He tells him his own story about his dream to find treasure in Spain.

58. After the attackers leave, Santiago gets up from the sand and begins to laugh. Why?
He laughs because he now knows where the treasure is buried.
59. The Alchemist presents us with a lot of important life lessons learned by Santiago
throughout his journey. List TEN and explain them (what do they mean, and how do they
relate to your life?):
● Follow Your Dreams: This means that your dreams don’t have to stay dreams if
you don’t want them too and you should try and achieve them if possible. This is
related to my life because I know people that have dreams and I also have
dreams that I believe I should attempt to follow.
● Listen to Your Heart: Santiago knew at first sight that he loved Fatima and this
means that the heart knows what it wants so listen to it. This is related to my life
because I listen to my heart when it comes to dance.
● Recognize Omens and Signs: This means that when you have a gut feeling about
something it is probably a sign and you should recognize it. I relate to this
because I sometimes don’t take things as a sign or an omen and I should start to
recognize them in my own life.
● Fear of Failure: Santiago really struggled with his fear of failure so this means
that you should fight that and be confident in yourself and not to doubt yourself. I
can really relate to this because I have a huge fear of failure especially with
dance and school so I should try and overcome that and try to step out of my
comfort zone.
● The Value of Perseverance:If Santiago didn’t keep persevering through his
journey he would have never followed his personal legend so it is very important
to keep going even in the face of adversity. This related to real life because
● Learn from Mistakes: Santiago makes a lot of mistakes but keeps going for his
personal legend. I can find this in everyday life because I always make mistakes
but learn from them to not make a similar mistake in the future.
● The Journey is as Important as the Destination:What Santiago learned during his
journey for his personal legend was very important for his life and also his
personal legend he reached in the end. This can be applied in life because we
may have something we want to reach but what we learn is just as important.
● True Wealth is Internal:Staniago gains a lot of wealth but it's what he earned on
his journey for his personal legend waiting was worth more. I can apply this
because no matter how much wealth I may gain, what I have inside is worth way
more.
● Everything, and Everyone, Has a Purpose: Everything and everyone in the world
is there for a reason. Nothing that isn’t meant to be there isn’t present because
everything that happened in the book was meant to happen just like everything in
our world is meant to be there and have a purpose.
● Everyone Has A Personal Legend, But Most Give Up On It: Like in the Alchemist
they said many people do not pursue their personal legends but because
Santiago went through the journey it took he did fulfill it. So I want to find my
personal legend and pursue it as well.