The Alchemist: Finding Your Personal Legend

(Book cover for The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

The Alchemist is a novel by Paulo Coelho, originally written in Portuguese in 1988. It is now a world-renowned novel translated into over 65 languages. The story follows a shepherd boy who dreams of finding treasure. He begins his journey from Spain to the Egyptian pyramids, and along the way, he discovers his “personal legend.” This novel gained its popularity because of its simple and universal message about following your dreams. Although its main theme is a bit basic, when reading it doesn’t feel like a dry self-help book; it’s engaging and captivating. I would give this book an overall rating of ⅘ stars. This novel appeals to a larger audience; it’s on the shorter and simpler side. I would have enjoyed it better if it had gone deeper in its message, but it’s definitely a great story.

The novel uses the term “personal legend,” which is a person’s destiny that will bring them happiness, and if they are truly in pursuit of their destiny, then the universe will help them achieve it through signs and omens. The main character discovers his personal legend through a dream he has multiple times, and he meets a king who tells him how he could reach it. During the shepherd’s journey, he goes through setbacks, makes sacrifices, and finds a mentor. These are all things that most people experience when pursuing something. In the story, there is this crystal merchant who knows his personal legend but doesn’t do anything to reach it out of the fear that once he reaches his dream, there will be nothing left for him to do. I think that this also reflects a lot of people in real life. Many people don’t follow their dreams for various reasons, such as fear or limitations, but like the merchant, we can find contentment in other things. Something I wished this novel explored more was how to know what your personal legend is. The shepherd has a dream and is told that it’s his personal legend, but that's not how it goes for most people in real life. It seemed like every character knew their personal legend without giving it much thought.

While reading this book, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had discovered my own personal legend. I thought back to high school, when we were supposed to start planning what we wanted for our futures. I remember not knowing what I wanted and feeling like I was running out of time, so I decided to go to college and study something that would get me a stable job. But after reading this book, I kept wondering if I was on the right path, if this path would lead me to my personal legend, or if I would end up in a place where I’m content but missing something. This novel caused me to do a lot of reflecting over my life and my future, probably stayed up a bit too late thinking things over. I came to the conclusion that I have enough interest in what I’m studying to continue the path I’m on right now, but that I could use some branching out, that I should be having more fun, and find my people. I think it’s totally valid to have concerns over our futures, especially as college students. A lot of things can feel out of our control, especially during political times like right now, but what we can control is whether we are on a track that will bring us happiness. I think as long as we are actively seeking out a joyful life, we’ll eventually reach our personal legend.

I’ll finish this blog off with my favorite quote from the book,

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist