You havent heard of it?? It was a bestseller when it came out
and very popular at one time... 
well lets see, its a very simple, easy to
read story about a shepard boy who follows his dreams..many people
have read it and have taken away different msgs from the book with
them...
I put this book in the top 10 books of my life because it really
inspired me. I am on my path today because of it...I would really
recommend that you do read it at leats once in your life
time...
heres a review on it from Amazon...hope you find it
insightful....
Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel
has inspired a devoted following around the world, and this tenth
anniversary edition, with a new introduction from the author, will
only increase that following. This story, dazzling in its powerful
simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd
boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the
Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids.
Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king,
and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of
his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will
be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts
out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of
the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the
story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power
of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and
places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a
bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the
ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful
method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or
two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an
Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure
in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to
literally follow his dream.
Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in
unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman.
In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the
alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many
years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and
what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does
eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher
relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while
also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is
afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the
alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night."Tell your
heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering
itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever
suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second
of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."
--Gail Hudson
