Was ‘The Alchemist’ Overrated?

THE ALCHEMIST (A Fable about Following Your Dream) by PAULO COELHO is a very popular book because of many reasons. The popularity of The Alchemist is not overrated in most ways. It’s a book about a man named Santiago who chooses to chase his dreams no matter how distinct and unrealistic they seemed. He anyways sets out on an expedition to the treasure which, ultimately, he discovered was always within him. The language is simple and is understood by most people. Which makes it accessible to large number of people.

Here are some reasons to read this book:

1.    The story is Interesting: It begins with the life of a Shepherd boy named Santiago with his sheeps. We learn about his love for traveling and the risks he takes to live the life he loves. We are presented one adventure about another, new settings and new characters throughout the book.

2.    It’s an Adventure: Santiago’s parents had wanted him to become a priest but he wanted to travel. Therefore he became a shepherd- to travel. And then we come across his dream of a treasure. He decides to chase the dream.

3.    This book is Life Enhancing: The story, the format, the settings and the characters-everything has a great impact on our life. We become more humble- and obviously more inspired. It is a motivating read. It makes a wonderful gift. We all love to read about people achieving their big dreams. It gives the feeling: if he can do it, I can at least try to achieve one’s destiny.

4.    It gives us different outlook: After reading this book, most of us have a changed outlook (at least for a while) about the world. We look for omens. We try to listen to our hearts. We try to feel and embrace the Soul of the World. Also it is a book to be read, shared and cherished.

It is about discovering our path in life. Many other books are written about this but the alchemist became popular for the way this idea was presented before the reader.