Who Is Melchizedek In The Alchemist

In his novel, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho tells the story of a man named Melchizedek, who says to be the King of Salem, a mysterious far-off land, but only appears as an old man living in the Spanish town of Tarifa. Although Melchizedek plays an important role throughout The Alchemist, he only appears in the book briefly. He meets Santiago the protagonist of The Alchemist, a shepherd boy from a small Andalusian town. Melchizedek helps persuade Santiago to pursue his dream and travel to the pyramids in Egypt to locate his treasure. In doing so, Melchizedek teaches Santiago about Personal Legends, and the Soul of the World. In addition, he also gives Santiago two magical precious stones encrusted in a gold breastplate called, Urim and Thummim which represents “yes” and “no” and will help guide and keep Santiago focused on his journey.

The old man had said, “…whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth” (The Alchemist, 11). “Essentially, Melchizedek says that dreams are not silly or selfish desires that should be ignored. Instead, they serve as the primary means by which people can get in touch with the mystical force that connects everything in the universe. He convinces Santiago that his nagging desire to visit the pyramids is actually a calling, and he sets Santiago on his journey of spiritual discovery” (SparkNotes Editors). Paulo Coelho centers The Alchemist story around Personal Legends because he wants to essentially motivate and explain to people that those who ignore their Personal Legends will suffer regret and fail to have the experience of fulfilling their