The Alchemist

What it is

A fable. Santiago, a shepherd in Andalusia, keeps dreaming of treasure near the Egyptian pyramids, so he sells his flock and goes to find it. He is robbed on his first day in Africa, works for a crystal merchant to earn his way back, crosses the desert with a caravan, falls in love at an oasis, and learns from an alchemist. The ending sends him somewhere he doesn't expect, and it is the right ending.

What stayed with me

• The Personal Legend. Coelho's name for the thing you have always wanted to do. Everyone knows theirs when they are young, and most of us talk ourselves out of it.
• The crystal merchant. He has dreamed of travelling to Mecca all his life and never goes, because the dream is what keeps him going and he is afraid of what comes after it. He is the most honest character in the book, and a warning.
• The fear is worse than the thing. Being afraid of suffering costs more than the suffering does.
• Pay attention. Santiago learns to read omens. I take that less mystically: the world gives you feedback all the time, if you are looking for it.
• The detour is part of the journey. The time in the crystal shop looks like a delay. It is where he learns the language, the trade and the patience that the desert asks for later.
• Maktub. "It is written." Do the work, then accept what was never yours to control.

Why I keep it

It is a simple book, and the people who dislike it usually dislike it for that. I think the simplicity is the point. It says one thing clearly: go after the thing, and treat what happens on the way as part of it.

Who I'd hand it to

Someone standing at a fork, about to change jobs, cities or fields, and half hoping for an excuse not to.