Paulo Coelho puts a vivid image in the reader's mine by incorporating actual places, writing a breathing taking storyline, and a simple writing skill that will inspire readers to dream big and shoot for the stars. The setting in this story is so well described that the reader can picture themselves in the fields of Andalusia, see themselves walking through the villages, and almost feel the overbearing heat of the Sahara sun, sand, and wind. The author allows the reader to travel as if there were there with Santiago through the inspirational story, The Alchemist.
Paulo Coelho shows symbolization through the sycamore tree. He puts Santiago there at the beginning, so he can initially bring him running back there in the end. The author leads Santiago to crucial people throughout the story such as a gypsy, a king, a merchant, an Englishman, a beautiful girl, and an alchemist. All these characters point Santiago in the “right” direction
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Santiago is taught many things there. The author inspires all the readers by adding what a Personal Legend is. The king teaches Santiago that your Personal Legend “...whets your appetite with a taste of success.”(Paulo Coelho 29) Santiago learns from the king what omens are and that the world's greatest lie is, “...at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.” (Paul Coelho 18)Paulo Coelho sculpts another character known as the crystal merchant. Coelho made Santiago work at his shop. While working there for almost a year, Santiago gained enough knowledge and money from the merchant. Paulo shows that the merchant almost convinces Santiago not to travel to the pyramids because somethings are just better left as a dream. At this point in The Alchemist, the merchant basically teaches Santiago to make his own decisions and travel to the pyramids to complete his