The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho
Translated by Alan R. Clarke
PART ONE
The boys name was Santiago. Dusk was alling as the boy arri!ed with his herd at an
abandoned "hur"h. The roo had allen in long ago# and an enormous sy"amore had
grown on the s$ot where the sa"risty had on"e stood.
%e de"ided to s$end the night there. %e saw to it that all the shee$ entered through
the ruined gate# and then laid some $lanks a"ross it to $re!ent the lo"k rom wandering
away during the night. There were no wol!es in the region# but on"e an animal had
strayed during the night# and the boy had had to s$end the entire ne&t day sear"hing or
it.
%e swe$t the loor with his 'a"ket and lay down# using the book he had 'ust inished
reading as a $illow. %e told himsel that he would ha!e to start reading thi"ker books(
they lasted longer# and made more "omortable $illows.
)t was still dark when he awoke# and# looking u$# he "ould see the stars through the
hal*destroyed roo.
) wanted to slee$ a little longer# he thought. %e had had the same dream that night as
a week ago# and on"e again he had awakened beore it ended.
%e arose and# taking u$ his "rook# began to awaken the shee$ that still sle$t. %e had
noti"ed that# as soon as he awoke# most o his animals also began to stir. )t was as i
some mysterious energy bound his lie to that o the shee$# with whom he had s$ent the
$ast two years# leading them through the "ountryside in sear"h o ood and water. +They
are so used to me that they know my s"hedule#, he muttered. Thinking about that or a
moment# he reali-ed that it "ould be the other way around( that it was he who had
be"ome a""ustomed to their s"hedule.
.ut there were "ertain o them who took a bit longer to awaken. The boy $rodded
them# one by one# with his "rook# "alling ea"h by name. %e had always belie!ed that the
shee$ were able to understand what he said. So there were times when he read them
$arts o his books that had made an im$ression on him# or when he would tell them o
the loneliness or the ha$$iness o a she$herd in the ields. Sometimes he would
"omment to them on the things he had seen in the !illages they $assed.
.ut or the $ast ew days he had s$oken to them about only one thing( the girl# the
daughter o a mer"hant who li!ed in the !illage they would rea"h in about our days. %e
had been to the !illage only on"e# the year beore. The mer"hant was the $ro$rietor o a
dry goods sho$# and he always demanded that the shee$ be sheared in his $resen"e# so
that he would not be "heated. A riend had told the boy about the sho$# and he had
taken his shee$ there.
/ / /
+) need to sell some wool#, the boy told the mer"hant.
The sho$ was busy# and the man asked the she$herd to wait until the aternoon. So
the boy sat on the ste$s o the sho$ and took a book rom his bag.
+) didnt know she$herds knew how to read#, said a girls !oi"e behind him.
The girl was ty$i"al o the region o Andalusia# with lowing bla"k hair# and eyes that
!aguely re"alled the 0oorish "on1uerors.
+2ell# usually ) learn more rom my shee$ than rom books#, he answered. During the
two hours that they talked# she told him she was the mer"hants daughter# and s$oke o
lie in the !illage# where ea"h day was like all the others. The she$herd told her o the
Andalusian "ountryside# and related the news rom the other towns where he had
sto$$ed. )t was a $leasant "hange rom talking to his shee$.
+%ow did you learn to read3, the girl asked at one $oint.
+4ike e!erybody learns#, he said. +)n s"hool.,
+2ell# i you know how to read# why are you 'ust a she$herd3,
The boy mumbled an answer that allowed him to a!oid res$onding to her 1uestion. %e
was sure the girl would ne!er understand. %e went on telling stories about his tra!els#
and her bright# 0oorish eyes went wide with ear and sur$rise. As the time $assed# the
boy ound himsel wishing that the day would ne!er end# that her ather would stay busy
and kee$ him waiting or three days. %e re"ogni-ed that he was eeling something he had
ne!er e&$erien"ed beore( the desire to li!e in one $la"e ore!er. 2ith the girl with the
ra!en hair# his days would ne!er be the same again.
.ut inally the mer"hant a$$eared# and asked the boy to shear our shee$. %e $aid or
the wool and asked the she$herd to "ome ba"k the ollowing year.
/ / /
And now it was only our days beore he would be ba"k in that same !illage. %e was
e&"ited# and at the same time uneasy( maybe the girl had already orgotten him. 4ots o
she$herds $assed through# selling their wool.
+)t doesnt matter#, he said to his shee$. +) know other girls in other $la"es.,
.ut in his heart he knew that it did matter. And he knew that she$herds# like seamen
and like tra!eling salesmen# always ound a town where there was someone who "ould
make them orget the 'oys o "areree wandering.
The day was dawning# and the she$herd urged his shee$ in the dire"tion o the sun.
They ne!er ha!e to make any de"isions# he thought. 0aybe thats why they always stay
"lose to me.
The only things that "on"erned the shee$ were ood and water. As long as the boy
knew how to ind the best $astures in Andalusia# they would be his riends. 5es# their
days were all the same# with the seemingly endless hours between sunrise and dusk6 and
they had ne!er read a book in their young li!es# and didnt understand when the boy told
them about the sights o the "ities. They were "ontent with 'ust ood and water# and# in
e&"hange# they generously ga!e o their wool# their "om$any# and7on"e in a while7their
meat.
) ) be"ame a monster today# and de"ided to kill them# one by one# they would
be"ome aware only ater most o the lo"k had been slaughtered# thought the boy. They
trust me# and they!e orgotten how to rely on their own instin"ts# be"ause ) lead them
to nourishment.
The boy was sur$rised at his thoughts. 0aybe the "hur"h# with the sy"amore growing
rom within# had been haunted. )t had "aused him to ha!e the same dream or a se"ond
time# and it was "ausing him to eel anger toward his aithul "om$anions. %e drank a bit
rom the wine that remained rom his dinner o the night beore# and he gathered his
'a"ket "loser to his body. %e knew that a ew hours rom now# with the sun at its -enith#
the heat would be so great that he would not be able to lead his lo"k a"ross the ields. )t
was the time o day when all o S$ain sle$t during the summer. The heat lasted until
nightall# and all that time he had to "arry his 'a"ket. .ut when he thought to "om$lain
about the burden o its weight# he remembered that# be"ause he had the 'a"ket# he had
withstood the "old o the dawn.
2e ha!e to be $re$ared or "hange# he thought# and he was grateul or the 'a"kets
weight and warmth.
The 'a"ket had a $ur$ose# and so did the boy. %is $ur$ose in lie was to tra!el# and#
ater two years o walking the Andalusian terrain# he knew all the "ities o the region. %e
was $lanning# on this !isit# to e&$lain to the girl how it was that a sim$le she$herd knew
how to read. That he had attended a seminary until he was si&teen. %is $arents had
wanted him to be"ome a $riest# and thereby a sour"e o $ride or a sim$le arm amily.
They worked hard 'ust to ha!e ood and water# like the shee$. %e had studied 4atin#
S$anish# and theology. .ut e!er sin"e he had been a "hild# he had wanted to know the
world# and this was mu"h more im$ortant to him than knowing 8od and learning about
mans sins. One aternoon# on a !isit to his amily# he had summoned u$ the "ourage to
tell his ather that he didnt want to be"ome a $riest. That he wanted to tra!el.
/ / /
+Peo$le rom all o!er the world ha!e $assed through this !illage# son#, said his ather.
+They "ome in sear"h o new things# but when they lea!e they are basi"ally the same
$eo$le they were when they arri!ed. They "limb the mountain to see the "astle# and they
wind u$ thinking that the $ast was better than what we ha!e now. They ha!e blond hair#
or dark skin# but basi"ally theyre the same as the $eo$le who li!e right here.,
+.ut )d like to see the "astles in the towns where they li!e#, the boy e&$lained.
+Those $eo$le# when they see our land# say that they would like to li!e here ore!er#,
his ather "ontinued.
+2ell# )d like to see their land# and see how they li!e#, said his son.
+The $eo$le who "ome here ha!e a lot o money to s$end# so they "an aord to
tra!el#, his ather said. +Amongst us# the only ones who tra!el are the she$herds.,
+2ell# then )ll be a she$herd9,
%is ather said no more. The ne&t day# he ga!e his son a $ou"h that held three an"ient
S$anish gold "oins.
+) ound these one day in the ields. ) wanted them to be a $art o your inheritan"e.
.ut use them to buy your lo"k. Take to the ields# and someday youll learn that our
"ountryside is the best# and our women the most beautiul.,
And he ga!e the boy his blessing. The boy "ould see in his athers ga-e a desire to be
able# himsel# to tra!el the world7a desire that was still ali!e# des$ite his athers ha!ing
had to bury it# o!er do-ens o years# under the burden o struggling or water to drink#
ood to eat# and the same $la"e to slee$ e!ery night o his lie.
/ / /
The hori-on was tinged with red# and suddenly the sun a$$eared. The boy thought
ba"k to that "on!ersation with his ather# and elt ha$$y6 he had already seen many
"astles and met many women :but none the e1ual o the one who awaited him se!eral
days hen"e;. %e owned a 'a"ket# a book that he "ould trade or another# and a lo"k o
shee$. .ut# most im$ortant# he was able e!ery day to li!e out his dream. ) he were to
tire o the Andalusian ields# he "ould sell his shee$ and go to sea. .y the time he had
had enough o the sea# he would already ha!e known other "ities# other women# and
other "han"es to be ha$$y. ) "ouldnt ha!e ound 8od in the seminary# he thought# as he
looked at the sunrise.
2hene!er he "ould# he sought out a new road to tra!el. %e had ne!er been to that
ruined "hur"h beore# in s$ite o ha!ing tra!eled through those $arts many times. The
world was huge and ine&haustible6 he had only to allow his shee$ to set the route or a
while# and he would dis"o!er other interesting things. The $roblem is that they dont
e!en reali-e that theyre walking a new road e!ery day. They dont see that the ields are
new and the seasons "hange. All they think about is ood and water.
0aybe were all that way# the boy mused. E!en me7) ha!ent thought o other women
sin"e ) met the mer"hants daughter. 4ooking at the sun# he "al"ulated that he would
rea"h Taria beore midday. There# he "ould e&"hange his book or a thi"ker one# ill his
wine bottle# sha!e# and ha!e a hair"ut6 he had to $re$are himsel or his meeting with
the girl# and he didnt want to think about the $ossibility that some other she$herd# with
a larger lo"k o shee$# had arri!ed there beore him and asked or her hand.
)ts the $ossibility o ha!ing a dream "ome true that makes lie interesting# he
thought# as he looked again at the $osition o the sun# and hurried his $a"e. %e had
suddenly remembered that# in Taria# there was an old woman who inter$reted dreams.
/ / /
The old woman led the boy to a room at the ba"k o her house6 it was se$arated rom
her li!ing room by a "urtain o "olored beads. The rooms urnishings "onsisted o a table#
an image o the Sa"red %eart o <esus# and two "hairs.
The woman sat down# and told him to be seated as well. Then she took both o his
hands in hers# and began 1uietly to $ray.
)t sounded like a 8y$sy $rayer. The boy had already had e&$erien"e on the road with
8y$sies6 they also tra!eled# but they had no lo"ks o shee$. Peo$le said that 8y$sies
s$ent their li!es tri"king others. )t was also said that they had a $a"t with the de!il# and
that they kidna$$ed "hildren and# taking them away to their mysterious "am$s# made
them their sla!es. As a "hild# the boy had always been rightened to death that he would
be "a$tured by 8y$sies# and this "hildhood ear returned when the old woman took his
hands in hers.
.ut she has the Sa"red %eart o <esus there# he thought# trying to reassure himsel.
%e didnt want his hand to begin trembling# showing the old woman that he was earul.
%e re"ited an Our =ather silently.
+>ery interesting#, said the woman# ne!er taking her eyes rom the boys hands# and
then she ell silent.
The boy was be"oming ner!ous. %is hands began to tremble# and the woman sensed
it. %e 1ui"kly $ulled his hands away.
+) didnt "ome here to ha!e you read my $alm#, he said# already regretting ha!ing
"ome. %e thought or a moment that it would be better to $ay her ee and lea!e without
learning a thing# that he was gi!ing too mu"h im$ortan"e to his re"urrent dream.
+5ou "ame so that you "ould learn about your dreams#, said the old woman. +And
dreams are the language o 8od. 2hen he s$eaks in our language# ) "an inter$ret what
he has said. .ut i he s$eaks in the language o the soul# it is only you who "an
understand. .ut# whi"he!er it is# )m going to "harge you or the "onsultation.,
Another tri"k# the boy thought. .ut he de"ided to take a "han"e. A she$herd always
takes his "han"es with wol!es and with drought# and thats what makes a she$herds lie
e&"iting.
+) ha!e had the same dream twi"e#, he said. +) dreamed that ) was in a ield with my
shee$# when a "hild a$$eared and began to $lay with the animals. ) dont like $eo$le to
do that# be"ause the shee$ are araid o strangers. .ut "hildren always seem to be able
to $lay with them without rightening them. ) dont know why. ) dont know how animals
know the age o human beings.,
+Tell me more about your dream#, said the woman. +) ha!e to get ba"k to my "ooking#
and# sin"e you dont ha!e mu"h money# ) "ant gi!e you a lot o time.,
+The "hild went on $laying with my shee$ or 1uite a while#, "ontinued the boy# a bit
u$set. +And suddenly# the "hild took me by both hands and trans$orted me to the
Egy$tian $yramids.,
%e $aused or a moment to see i the woman knew what the Egy$tian $yramids were.
.ut she said nothing.
+Then# at the Egy$tian $yramids#,7he said the last three words slowly# so that the old
woman would understand7+the "hild said to me# ) you "ome here# you will ind a hidden
treasure. And# 'ust as she was about to show me the e&a"t lo"ation# ) woke u$. .oth
times.,
The woman was silent or some time. Then she again took his hands and studied them
"areully.
+)m not going to "harge you anything now#, she said. +.ut ) want one*tenth o the
treasure# i you ind it.,
The boy laughed7out o ha$$iness. %e was going to be able to sa!e the little money
he had be"ause o a dream about hidden treasure9
+2ell# inter$ret the dream#, he said.
+=irst# swear to me. Swear that you will gi!e me one*tenth o your treasure in
e&"hange or what ) am going to tell you.,
The she$herd swore that he would. The old woman asked him to swear again while
looking at the image o the Sa"red %eart o <esus.
+)ts a dream in the language o the world#, she said. +) "an inter$ret it# but the
inter$retation is !ery dii"ult. Thats why ) eel that ) deser!e a $art o what you ind.
+And this is my inter$retation( you must go to the Pyramids in Egy$t. ) ha!e ne!er
heard o them# but# i it was a "hild who showed them to you# they e&ist. There you will
ind a treasure that will make you a ri"h man.,
The boy was sur$rised# and then irritated. %e didnt need to seek out the old woman
or this9 .ut then he remembered that he wasnt going to ha!e to $ay anything.
+) didnt need to waste my time 'ust or this#, he said.
+) told you that your dream was a dii"ult one. )ts the sim$le things in lie that are
the most e&traordinary6 only wise men are able to understand them. And sin"e ) am not
wise# ) ha!e had to learn other arts# su"h as the reading o $alms.,
+2ell# how am ) going to get to Egy$t3,
+) only inter$ret dreams. ) dont know how to turn them into reality. Thats why ) ha!e
to li!e o what my daughters $ro!ide me with.,
+And what i ) ne!er get to Egy$t3,
+Then ) dont get $aid. )t wouldnt be the irst time.,
And the woman told the boy to lea!e# saying she had already wasted too mu"h time
with him.
So the boy was disa$$ointed6 he de"ided that he would ne!er again belie!e in dreams.
%e remembered that he had a number o things he had to take "are o( he went to the
market or something to eat# he traded his book or one that was thi"ker# and he ound a
ben"h in the $la-a where he "ould sam$le the new wine he had bought. The day was hot#
and the wine was rereshing. The shee$ were at the gates o the "ity# in a stable that
belonged to a riend. The boy knew a lot o $eo$le in the "ity. That was what made
tra!eling a$$eal to him7he always made new riends# and he didnt need to s$end all o
his time with them. 2hen someone sees the same $eo$le e!ery day# as had ha$$ened
with him at the seminary# they wind u$ be"oming a $art o that $ersons lie. And then
they want the $erson to "hange. ) someone isnt what others want them to be# the
others be"ome angry. E!eryone seems to ha!e a "lear idea o how other $eo$le should
lead their li!es# but none about his or her own.
%e de"ided to wait until the sun had sunk a bit lower in the sky beore ollowing his
lo"k ba"k through the ields. Three days rom now# he would be with the mer"hants
daughter.
%e started to read the book he had bought. On the !ery irst $age it des"ribed a burial
"eremony. And the names o the $eo$le in!ol!ed were !ery dii"ult to $ronoun"e. ) he
e!er wrote a book# he thought# he would $resent one $erson at a time# so that the
reader wouldnt ha!e to worry about memori-ing a lot o names.
2hen he was inally able to "on"entrate on what he was reading# he liked the book
better6 the burial was on a snowy day# and he wel"omed the eeling o being "old. As he
read on# an old man sat down at his side and tried to strike u$ a "on!ersation.
+2hat are they doing3, the old man asked# $ointing at the $eo$le in the $la-a.
+2orking#, the boy answered dryly# making it look as i he wanted to "on"entrate on
his reading.
A"tually# he was thinking about shearing his shee$ in ront o the mer"hants daughter#
so that she "ould see that he was someone who was "a$able o doing dii"ult things. %e
had already imagined the s"ene many times6 e!ery time# the girl be"ame as"inated
when he e&$lained that the shee$ had to be sheared rom ba"k to ront. %e also tried to
remember some good stories to relate as he sheared the shee$. 0ost o them he had
read in books# but he would tell them as i they were rom his $ersonal e&$erien"e. She
would ne!er know the dieren"e# be"ause she didnt know how to read.
0eanwhile# the old man $ersisted in his attem$t to strike u$ a "on!ersation. %e said
that he was tired and thirsty# and asked i he might ha!e a si$ o the boys wine. The boy
oered his bottle# ho$ing that the old man would lea!e him alone.
.ut the old man wanted to talk# and he asked the boy what book he was reading. The
boy was tem$ted to be rude# and mo!e to another ben"h# but his ather had taught him
to be res$e"tul o the elderly. So he held out the book to the man7or two reasons(
irst# that he# himsel# wasnt sure how to $ronoun"e the title6 and se"ond# that i the old
man didnt know how to read# he would $robably eel ashamed and de"ide o his own
a""ord to "hange ben"hes.
+%mm . . ., said the old man# looking at all sides o the book# as i it were some
strange ob'e"t. +This is an im$ortant book# but its really irritating.,
The boy was sho"ked. The old man knew how to read# and had already read the book.
And i the book was irritating# as the old man had said# the boy still had time to "hange it
or another.
+)ts a book that says the same thing almost all the other books in the world say#,
"ontinued the old man. +)t des"ribes $eo$les inability to "hoose their own destinies. And
it ends u$ saying that e!eryone belie!es the worlds greatest lie.,
+2hats the worlds greatest lie3, the boy asked# "om$letely sur$rised.
+)ts this( that at a "ertain $oint in our li!es# we lose "ontrol o whats ha$$ening to us#
and our li!es be"ome "ontrolled by ate. Thats the worlds greatest lie.,
+Thats ne!er ha$$ened to me#, the boy said. +They wanted me to be a $riest# but )
de"ided to be"ome a she$herd.,
+0u"h better#, said the old man. +.e"ause you really like to tra!el.,
+%e knew what ) was thinking#, the boy said to himsel. The old man# meanwhile# was
leaing through the book# without seeming to want to return it at all. The boy noti"ed that
the mans "lothing was strange. %e looked like an Arab# whi"h was not unusual in those
$arts. Ari"a was only a ew hours rom Taria6 one had only to "ross the narrow straits
by boat. Arabs oten a$$eared in the "ity# sho$$ing and "hanting their strange $rayers
se!eral times a day.
+2here are you rom3, the boy asked.
+=rom many $la"es.,
+No one "an be rom many $la"es#, the boy said. +)m a she$herd# and ) ha!e been to
many $la"es# but ) "ome rom only one $la"e7rom a "ity near an an"ient "astle. Thats
where ) was born.,
+2ell then# we "ould say that ) was born in Salem.,
The boy didnt know where Salem was# but he didnt want to ask# earing that he
would a$$ear ignorant. %e looked at the $eo$le in the $la-a or a while6 they were
"oming and going# and all o them seemed to be !ery busy.
+So# what is Salem like3, he asked# trying to get some sort o "lue.
+)ts like it always has been.,
No "lue yet. .ut he knew that Salem wasnt in Andalusia. ) it were# he would already
ha!e heard o it.
+And what do you do in Salem3, he insisted.
+2hat do ) do in Salem3, The old man laughed. +2ell# )m the king o Salem9,
Peo$le say strange things# the boy thought. Sometimes its better to be with the
shee$# who dont say anything. And better still to be alone with ones books. They tell
their in"redible stories at the time when you want to hear them. .ut when youre talking
to $eo$le# they say some things that are so strange that you dont know how to "ontinue
the "on!ersation.
+0y name is 0el"hi-edek#, said the old man. +%ow many shee$ do you ha!e3,
+Enough#, said the boy. %e "ould see that the old man wanted to know more about his
lie.
+2ell# then# we!e got a $roblem. ) "ant hel$ you i you eel you!e got enough
shee$.,
The boy was getting irritated. %e wasnt asking or hel$. )t was the old man who had
asked or a drink o his wine# and had started the "on!ersation.
+8i!e me my book#, the boy said. +) ha!e to go and gather my shee$ and get going.,
+8i!e me one*tenth o your shee$#, said the old man# +and )ll tell you how to ind the
hidden treasure.,
The boy remembered his dream# and suddenly e!erything was "lear to him. The old
woman hadnt "harged him anything# but the old man7maybe he was her husband7was
going to ind a way to get mu"h more money in e&"hange or inormation about
something that didnt e!en e&ist. The old man was $robably a 8y$sy# too.
.ut beore the boy "ould say anything# the old man leaned o!er# $i"ked u$ a sti"k# and
began to write in the sand o the $la-a. Something bright rele"ted rom his "hest with
su"h intensity that the boy was momentarily blinded. 2ith a mo!ement that was too
1ui"k or someone his age# the man "o!ered whate!er it was with his "a$e. 2hen his
!ision returned to normal# the boy was able to read what the old man had written in the
sand.
There# in the sand o the $la-a o that small "ity# the boy read the names o his ather
and his mother and the name o the seminary he had attended. %e read the name o the
mer"hants daughter# whi"h he hadnt e!en known# and he read things he had ne!er told
anyone.
/ / /
+)m the king o Salem#, the old man had said.
+2hy would a king be talking with a she$herd3, the boy asked# awed and
embarrassed.
+=or se!eral reasons. .ut lets say that the most im$ortant is that you ha!e su""eeded
in dis"o!ering your destiny.,
The boy didnt know what a $ersons +destiny, was.
+)ts what you ha!e always wanted to a""om$lish. E!eryone# when they are young#
knows what their destiny is.
+At that $oint in their li!es# e!erything is "lear and e!erything is $ossible. They are not
araid to dream# and to yearn or e!erything they would like to see ha$$en to them in
their li!es. .ut# as time $asses# a mysterious or"e begins to "on!in"e them that it will be
im$ossible or them to reali-e their destiny.,
None o what the old man was saying made mu"h sense to the boy. .ut he wanted to
know what the +mysterious or"e, was6 the mer"hants daughter would be im$ressed
when he told her about that9
+)ts a or"e that a$$ears to be negati!e# but a"tually shows you how to reali-e your
destiny. )t $re$ares your s$irit and your will# be"ause there is one great truth on this
$lanet( whoe!er you are# or whate!er it is that you do# when you really want something#
its be"ause that desire originated in the soul o the uni!erse. )ts your mission on earth.,
+E!en when all you want to do is tra!el3 Or marry the daughter o a te&tile mer"hant3,
+5es# or e!en sear"h or treasure. The Soul o the 2orld is nourished by $eo$les
ha$$iness. And also by unha$$iness# en!y# and 'ealousy. To reali-e ones destiny is a
$ersons only real obligation. All things are one.
+And# when you want something# all the uni!erse "ons$ires in hel$ing you to a"hie!e
it.,
They were both silent or a time# obser!ing the $la-a and the towns$eo$le. )t was the
old man who s$oke irst.
+2hy do you tend a lo"k o shee$3,
+.e"ause ) like to tra!el.,
The old man $ointed to a baker standing in his sho$ window at one "orner o the
$la-a. +2hen he was a "hild# that man wanted to tra!el# too. .ut he de"ided irst to buy
his bakery and $ut some money aside. 2hen hes an old man# hes going to s$end a
month in Ari"a. %e ne!er reali-ed that $eo$le are "a$able# at any time in their li!es# o
doing what they dream o.,
+%e should ha!e de"ided to be"ome a she$herd#, the boy said.
+2ell# he thought about that#, the old man said. +.ut bakers are more im$ortant
$eo$le than she$herds. .akers ha!e homes# while she$herds slee$ out in the o$en.
Parents would rather see their "hildren marry bakers than she$herds.,
The boy elt a $ang in his heart# thinking about the mer"hants daughter. There was
surely a baker in her town.
The old man "ontinued# +)n the long run# what $eo$le think about she$herds and
bakers be"omes more im$ortant or them than their own destinies.,
The old man leaed through the book# and ell to reading a $age he "ame to. The boy
waited# and then interru$ted the old man 'ust as he himsel had been interru$ted. +2hy
are you telling me all this3,
+.e"ause you are trying to reali-e your destiny. And you are at the $oint where youre
about to gi!e it all u$.,
+And thats when you always a$$ear on the s"ene3,
+Not always in this way# but ) always a$$ear in one orm or another. Sometimes )
a$$ear in the orm o a solution# or a good idea. At other times# at a "ru"ial moment# )
make it easier or things to ha$$en. There are other things ) do# too# but most o the
time $eo$le dont reali-e )!e done them.,
The old man related that# the week beore# he had been or"ed to a$$ear beore a
miner# and had taken the orm o a stone. The miner had abandoned e!erything to go
mining or emeralds. =or i!e years he had been working a "ertain ri!er# and had
e&amined hundreds o thousands o stones looking or an emerald. The miner was about
to gi!e it all u$# right at the $oint when# i he were to e&amine 'ust one more stone7'ust
one more7he would ind his emerald. Sin"e the miner had sa"rii"ed e!erything to his
destiny# the old man de"ided to be"ome in!ol!ed. %e transormed himsel into a stone
that rolled u$ to the miners oot. The miner# with all the anger and rustration o his i!e
ruitless years# $i"ked u$ the stone and threw it aside. .ut he had thrown it with su"h
or"e that it broke the stone it ell u$on# and there# embedded in the broken stone# was
the most beautiul emerald in the world.
+Peo$le learn# early in their li!es# what is their reason or being#, said the old man#
with a "ertain bitterness. +0aybe thats why they gi!e u$ on it so early# too. .ut thats
the way it is.,
The boy reminded the old man that he had said something about hidden treasure.
+Treasure is un"o!ered by the or"e o lowing water# and it is buried by the same
"urrents#, said the old man. +) you want to learn about your own treasure# you will ha!e
to gi!e me one*tenth o your lo"k.,
+2hat about one*tenth o my treasure3,
The old man looked disa$$ointed. +) you start out by $romising what you dont e!en
ha!e yet# youll lose your desire to work toward getting it.,
The boy told him that he had already $romised to gi!e one*tenth o his treasure to the
8y$sy.
+8y$sies are e&$erts at getting $eo$le to do that#, sighed the old man. +)n any "ase#
its good that you!e learned that e!erything in lie has its $ri"e. This is what the 2arriors
o the 4ight try to tea"h.,
The old man returned the book to the boy.
+Tomorrow# at this same time# bring me a tenth o your lo"k. And ) will tell you how to
ind the hidden treasure. 8ood aternoon.,
And he !anished around the "orner o the $la-a.
/ / /
The boy began again to read his book# but he was no longer able to "on"entrate. %e
was tense and u$set# be"ause he knew that the old man was right. %e went o!er to the
bakery and bought a loa o bread# thinking about whether or not he should tell the baker
what the old man had said about him. Sometimes its better to lea!e things as they are#
he thought to himsel# and de"ided to say nothing. ) he were to say anything# the baker
would s$end three days thinking about gi!ing it all u$# e!en though he had gotten used
to the way things were. The boy "ould "ertainly resist "ausing that kind o an&iety or the
baker. So he began to wander through the "ity# and ound himsel at the gates. There
was a small building there# with a window at whi"h $eo$le bought ti"kets to Ari"a. And
he knew that Egy$t was in Ari"a.
+Can ) hel$ you3, asked the man behind the window.
+0aybe tomorrow#, said the boy# mo!ing away. ) he sold 'ust one o his shee$# hed
ha!e enough to get to the other shore o the strait. The idea rightened him.
+Another dreamer#, said the ti"ket seller to his assistant# wat"hing the boy walk away.
+%e doesnt ha!e enough money to tra!el.,
2hile standing at the ti"ket window# the boy had remembered his lo"k# and de"ided
he should go ba"k to being a she$herd. )n two years he had learned e!erything about
she$herding( he knew how to shear shee$# how to "are or $regnant ewes# and how to
$rote"t the shee$ rom wol!es. %e knew all the ields and $astures o Andalusia. And he
knew what was the air $ri"e or e!ery one o his animals.
%e de"ided to return to his riends stable by the longest route $ossible. As he walked
$ast the "itys "astle# he interru$ted his return# and "limbed the stone ram$ that led to
the to$ o the wall. =rom there# he "ould see Ari"a in the distan"e. Someone had on"e
told him that it was rom there that the 0oors had "ome# to o""u$y all o S$ain.
%e "ould see almost the entire "ity rom where he sat# in"luding the $la-a where he
had talked with the old man. Curse the moment ) met that old man# he thought. %e had
"ome to the town only to ind a woman who "ould inter$ret his dream. Neither the
woman nor the old man were at all im$ressed by the a"t that he was a she$herd. They
were solitary indi!iduals who no longer belie!ed in things# and didnt understand that
she$herds be"ome atta"hed to their shee$. %e knew e!erything about ea"h member o
his lo"k( he knew whi"h ones were lame# whi"h one was to gi!e birth two months rom
now# and whi"h were the la-iest. %e knew how to shear them# and how to slaughter
them. ) he e!er de"ided to lea!e them# they would suer.
The wind began to $i"k u$. %e knew that wind( $eo$le "alled it the le!anter# be"ause
on it the 0oors had "ome rom the 4e!ant at the eastern end o the 0editerranean.
The le!anter in"reased in intensity. %ere ) am# between my lo"k and my treasure# the
boy thought. %e had to "hoose between something he had be"ome a""ustomed to and
something he wanted to ha!e. There was also the mer"hants daughter# but she wasnt as
im$ortant as his lo"k# be"ause she didnt de$end on him. 0aybe she didnt e!en
remember him. %e was sure that it made no dieren"e to her on whi"h day he a$$eared(
or her# e!ery day was the same# and when ea"h day is the same as the ne&t# its
be"ause $eo$le ail to re"ogni-e the good things that ha$$en in their li!es e!ery day that
the sun rises.
) let my ather# my mother# and the town "astle behind. They ha!e gotten used to my
being away# and so ha!e ). The shee$ will get used to my not being there# too# the boy
thought.
=rom where he sat# he "ould obser!e the $la-a. Peo$le "ontinued to "ome and go rom
the bakers sho$. A young "ou$le sat on the ben"h where he had talked with the old
man# and they kissed.
+That baker . . ., he said to himsel# without "om$leting the thought. The le!anter was
still getting stronger# and he elt its or"e on his a"e. That wind had brought the 0oors#
yes# but it had also brought the smell o the desert and o !eiled women. )t had brought
with it the sweat and the dreams o men who had on"e let to sear"h or the unknown#
and or gold and ad!enture7and or the Pyramids. The boy elt 'ealous o the reedom o
the wind# and saw that he "ould ha!e the same reedom. There was nothing to hold him
ba"k e&"e$t himsel. The shee$# the mer"hants daughter# and the ields o Andalusia
were only ste$s along the way to his destiny.
The ne&t day# the boy met the old man at noon. %e brought si& shee$ with him.
+)m sur$rised#, the boy said. +0y riend bought all the other shee$ immediately. %e
said that he had always dreamed o being a she$herd# and that it was a good omen.,
+Thats the way it always is#, said the old man. +)ts "alled the $rin"i$le o a!orability.
2hen you $lay "ards the irst time# you are almost sure to win. .eginners lu"k.,
+2hy is that3,
+.e"ause there is a or"e that wants you to reali-e your destiny6 it whets your a$$etite
with a taste o su""ess.,
Then the old man began to ins$e"t the shee$# and he saw that one was lame. The boy
e&$lained that it wasnt im$ortant# sin"e that shee$ was the most intelligent o the lo"k#
and $rodu"ed the most wool.
+2here is the treasure3, he asked.
+)ts in Egy$t# near the Pyramids.,
The boy was startled. The old woman had said the same thing. .ut she hadnt "harged
him anything.
+)n order to ind the treasure# you will ha!e to ollow the omens. 8od has $re$ared a
$ath or e!eryone to ollow. 5ou 'ust ha!e to read the omens that he let or you.,
.eore the boy "ould re$ly# a butterly a$$eared and luttered between him and the old
man. %e remembered something his grandather had on"e told him( that butterlies were
a good omen. 4ike "ri"kets# and like e&$e"tations6 like li-ards and our*lea "lo!ers.
+Thats right#, said the old man# able to read the boys thoughts. +<ust as your
grandather taught you. These are good omens.,
The old man o$ened his "a$e# and the boy was stru"k by what he saw. The old man
wore a breast$late o hea!y gold# "o!ered with $re"ious stones. The boy re"alled the
brillian"e he had noti"ed on the $re!ious day.
%e really was a king9 %e must be disguised to a!oid en"ounters with thie!es.
+Take these#, said the old man# holding out a white stone and a bla"k stone that had
been embedded at the "enter o the breast$late. +They are "alled ?rim and Thummim.
The bla"k signiies @yes# and the white @no. 2hen you are unable to read the omens# they
will hel$ you to do so. Always ask an ob'e"ti!e 1uestion.
+.ut# i you "an# try to make your own de"isions. The treasure is at the Pyramids6 that
you already knew. .ut ) had to insist on the $ayment o si& shee$ be"ause ) hel$ed you
to make your de"ision.,
The boy $ut the stones in his $ou"h. =rom then on# he would make his own de"isions.
+Dont orget that e!erything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else. And
dont orget the language o omens. And# abo!e all# dont orget to ollow your destiny
through to its "on"lusion.
+.ut beore ) go# ) want to tell you a little story.
+A "ertain sho$kee$er sent his son to learn about the se"ret o ha$$iness rom the
wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert or orty days# and inally
"ame u$on a beautiul "astle# high ato$ a mountain. )t was there that the wise man li!ed.
+Rather than inding a saintly man# though# our hero# on entering the main room o
the "astle# saw a hi!e o a"ti!ity( tradesmen "ame and went# $eo$le were "on!ersing in
the "orners# a small or"hestra was $laying sot musi"# and there was a table "o!ered with
$latters o the most deli"ious ood in that $art o the world. The wise man "on!ersed with
e!eryone# and the boy had to wait or two hours beore it was his turn to be gi!en the
mans attention.
+The wise man listened attenti!ely to the boys e&$lanation o why he had "ome# but
told him that he didnt ha!e time 'ust then to e&$lain the se"ret o ha$$iness. %e
suggested that the boy look around the $ala"e and return in two hours.
+0eanwhile# ) want to ask you to do something#, said the wise man# handing the boy a
teas$oon that held two dro$s o oil. +As you wander around# "arry this s$oon with you
without allowing the oil to s$ill.,
+The boy began "limbing and des"ending the many stairways o the $ala"e# kee$ing
his eyes i&ed on the s$oon. Ater two hours# he returned to the room where the wise
man was.
+2ell#, asked the wise man# +did you see the Persian ta$estries that are hanging in my
dining hall3 Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to "reate3
Did you noti"e the beautiul $ar"hments in my library3,
+The boy was embarrassed# and "onessed that he had obser!ed nothing. %is only
"on"ern had been not to s$ill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.
+Then go ba"k and obser!e the mar!els o my world#, said the wise man. +5ou "annot
trust a man i you dont know his house.,
+Relie!ed# the boy $i"ked u$ the s$oon and returned to his e&$loration o the $ala"e#
this time obser!ing all o the works o art on the "eilings and the walls. %e saw the
gardens# the mountains all around him# the beauty o the lowers# and the taste with
whi"h e!erything had been sele"ted. ?$on returning to the wise man# he related in detail
e!erything he had seen.
+.ut where are the dro$s o oil ) entrusted to you3, asked the wise man.
+4ooking down at the s$oon he held# the boy saw that the oil was gone.
+2ell# there is only one $ie"e o ad!i"e ) "an gi!e you#, said the wisest o wise men.
+The se"ret o ha$$iness is to see all the mar!els o the world# and ne!er to orget the
dro$s o oil on the s$oon.,
The she$herd said nothing. %e had understood the story the old king had told him. A
she$herd may like to tra!el# but he should ne!er orget about his shee$.
The old man looked at the boy and# with his hands held together# made se!eral
strange gestures o!er the boys head. Then# taking his shee$# he walked away.
/ / /
At the highest $oint in Taria there is an old ort# built by the 0oors. =rom ato$ its
walls# one "an "at"h a glim$se o Ari"a. 0el"hi-edek# the king o Salem# sat on the wall
o the ort that aternoon# and elt the le!anter blowing in his a"e. The shee$ idgeted
nearby# uneasy with their new owner and e&"ited by so mu"h "hange. All they wanted
was ood and water.
0el"hi-edek wat"hed a small shi$ that was $lowing its way out o the $ort. %e would
ne!er again see the boy# 'ust as he had ne!er seen Abraham again ater ha!ing "harged
him his one*tenth ee. That was his work.
The gods should not ha!e desires# be"ause they dont ha!e destinies. .ut the king o
Salem ho$ed des$erately that the boy would be su""essul.
)ts too bad that hes 1ui"kly going to orget my name# he thought. ) should ha!e
re$eated it or him. Then when he s$oke about me he would say that ) am 0el"hi-edek#
the king o Salem.
%e looked to the skies# eeling a bit abashed# and said# +) know its the !anity o
!anities# as you said# my 4ord. .ut an old king sometimes has to take some $ride in
himsel.,
/ / /
%ow strange Ari"a is# thought the boy.
%e was sitting in a bar !ery mu"h like the other bars he had seen along the narrow
streets o Tangier. Some men were smoking rom a giganti" $i$e that they $assed rom
one to the other. )n 'ust a ew hours he had seen men walking hand in hand# women with
their a"es "o!ered# and $riests that "limbed to the to$s o towers and "hanted7as
e!eryone about him went to their knees and $la"ed their oreheads on the ground.
+A $ra"ti"e o inidels#, he said to himsel. As a "hild in "hur"h# he had always looked
at the image o Saint Santiago 0atamoros on his white horse# his sword unsheathed# and
igures su"h as these kneeling at his eet. The boy elt ill and terribly alone. The inidels
had an e!il look about them.
.esides this# in the rush o his tra!els he had orgotten a detail# 'ust one detail# whi"h
"ould kee$ him rom his treasure or a long time( only Arabi" was s$oken in this "ountry.
The owner o the bar a$$roa"hed him# and the boy $ointed to a drink that had been
ser!ed at the ne&t table. )t turned out to be a bitter tea. The boy $reerred wine.
.ut he didnt need to worry about that right now. 2hat he had to be "on"erned about
was his treasure# and how he was going to go about getting it. The sale o his shee$ had
let him with enough money in his $ou"h# and the boy knew that in money there was
magi"6 whoe!er has money is ne!er really alone. .eore long# maybe in 'ust a ew days#
he would be at the Pyramids. An old man# with a breast$late o gold# wouldnt ha!e lied
'ust to a"1uire si& shee$.
The old man had s$oken about signs and omens# and# as the boy was "rossing the
strait# he had thought about omens. 5es# the old man had known what he was talking
about( during the time the boy had s$ent in the ields o Andalusia# he had be"ome used
to learning whi"h $ath he should take by obser!ing the ground and the sky. %e had
dis"o!ered that the $resen"e o a "ertain bird meant that a snake was nearby# and that a
"ertain shrub was a sign that there was water in the area. The shee$ had taught him
that.
) 8od leads the shee$ so well# he will also lead a man# he thought# and that made
him eel better. The tea seemed less bitter.
+2ho are you3, he heard a !oi"e ask him in S$anish.
The boy was relie!ed. %e was thinking about omens# and someone had a$$eared.
+%ow "ome you s$eak S$anish3, he asked. The new arri!al was a young man in
2estern dress# but the "olor o his skin suggested he was rom this "ity. %e was about
the same age and height as the boy.
+Almost e!eryone here s$eaks S$anish. 2ere only two hours rom S$ain.,
+Sit down# and let me treat you to something#, said the boy. +And ask or a glass o
wine or me. ) hate this tea.,
+There is no wine in this "ountry#, the young man said. +The religion here orbids it.,
The boy told him then that he needed to get to the Pyramids. %e almost began to tell
about his treasure# but de"ided not to do so. ) he did# it was $ossible that the Arab
would want a $art o it as $ayment or taking him there. %e remembered what the old
man had said about oering something you didnt e!en ha!e yet.
+)d like you to take me there i you "an. ) "an $ay you to ser!e as my guide.,
+Do you ha!e any idea how to get there3, the new"omer asked.
The boy noti"ed that the owner o the bar stood nearby# listening attenti!ely to their
"on!ersation. %e elt uneasy at the mans $resen"e. .ut he had ound a guide# and didnt
want to miss out on an o$$ortunity.
+5ou ha!e to "ross the entire Sahara desert#, said the young man. +And to do that# you
need money. ) need to know whether you ha!e enough.,
The boy thought it a strange 1uestion. .ut he trusted in the old man# who had said
that# when you really want something# the uni!erse always "ons$ires in your a!or.
%e took his money rom his $ou"h and showed it to the young man. The owner o the
bar "ame o!er and looked# as well. The two men e&"hanged some words in Arabi"# and
the bar owner seemed irritated.
+4ets get out o here, said the new arri!al. +%e wants us to lea!e.,
The boy was relie!ed. %e got u$ to $ay the bill# but the owner grabbed him and began
to s$eak to him in an angry stream o words. The boy was strong# and wanted to
retaliate# but he was in a oreign "ountry. %is new riend $ushed the owner aside# and
$ulled the boy outside with him. +%e wanted your money#, he said. +Tangier is not like the
rest o Ari"a. This is a $ort# and e!ery $ort has its thie!es.,
The boy trusted his new riend. %e had hel$ed him out in a dangerous situation. %e
took out his money and "ounted it.
+2e "ould get to the Pyramids by tomorrow#, said the other# taking the money. +.ut )
ha!e to buy two "amels.,
They walked together through the narrow streets o Tangier. E!erywhere there were
stalls with items or sale. They rea"hed the "enter o a large $la-a where the market was
held. There were thousands o $eo$le there# arguing# selling# and buying6 !egetables or
sale amongst daggers# and "ar$ets dis$layed alongside toba""o. .ut the boy ne!er took
his eye o his new riend. Ater all# he had all his money. %e thought about asking him to
gi!e it ba"k# but de"ided that would be unriendly. %e knew nothing about the "ustoms o
the strange land he was in.
+)ll 'ust wat"h him#, he said to himsel. %e knew he was stronger than his riend.
Suddenly# there in the midst o all that "onusion# he saw the most beautiul sword he
had e!er seen. The s"abbard was embossed in sil!er# and the handle was bla"k and
en"rusted with $re"ious stones. The boy $romised himsel that# when he returned rom
Egy$t# he would buy that sword.
+Ask the owner o that stall how mu"h the sword "osts#, he said to his riend. Then he
reali-ed that he had been distra"ted or a ew moments# looking at the sword. %is heart
s1uee-ed# as i his "hest had suddenly "om$ressed it. %e was araid to look around#
be"ause he knew what he would ind. %e "ontinued to look at the beautiul sword or a
bit longer# until he summoned the "ourage to turn around.
All around him was the market# with $eo$le "oming and going# shouting and buying#
and the aroma o strange oods . . . but nowhere "ould he ind his new "om$anion.
The boy wanted to belie!e that his riend had sim$ly be"ome se$arated rom him by
a""ident. %e de"ided to stay right there and await his return. As he waited# a $riest
"limbed to the to$ o a nearby tower and began his "hant6 e!eryone in the market ell to
their knees# tou"hed their oreheads to the ground# and took u$ the "hant. Then# like a
"olony o worker ants# they dismantled their stalls and let.
The sun began its de$arture# as well. The boy wat"hed it through its tra'e"tory or
some time# until it was hidden behind the white houses surrounding the $la-a. %e
re"alled that when the sun had risen that morning# he was on another "ontinent# still a
she$herd with si&ty shee$# and looking orward to meeting with a girl. That morning he
had known e!erything that was going to ha$$en to him as he walked through the amiliar
ields. .ut now# as the sun began to set# he was in a dierent "ountry# a stranger in a
strange land# where he "ouldnt e!en s$eak the language. %e was no longer a she$herd#
and he had nothing# not e!en the money to return and start e!erything o!er.
All this ha$$ened between sunrise and sunset# the boy thought. %e was eeling sorry
or himsel# and lamenting the a"t that his lie "ould ha!e "hanged so suddenly and so
drasti"ally.
%e was so ashamed that he wanted to "ry. %e had ne!er e!en we$t in ront o his own
shee$. .ut the market$la"e was em$ty# and he was ar rom home# so he we$t. %e we$t
be"ause 8od was unair# and be"ause this was the way 8od re$aid those who belie!ed in
their dreams.
2hen ) had my shee$# ) was ha$$y# and ) made those around me ha$$y. Peo$le saw
me "oming and wel"omed me# he thought. .ut now )m sad and alone. )m going to
be"ome bitter and distrustul o $eo$le be"ause one $erson betrayed me. )m going to
hate those who ha!e ound their treasure be"ause ) ne!er ound mine. And )m going to
hold on to what little ) ha!e# be"ause )m too insignii"ant to "on1uer the world.
%e o$ened his $ou"h to see what was let o his $ossessions6 maybe there was a bit
let o the sandwi"h he had eaten on the shi$. .ut all he ound was the hea!y book# his
'a"ket# and the two stones the old man had gi!en him.
As he looked at the stones# he elt relie!ed or some reason. %e had e&"hanged si&
shee$ or two $re"ious stones that had been taken rom a gold breast$late. %e "ould sell
the stones and buy a return ti"ket. .ut this time )ll be smarter# the boy thought#
remo!ing them rom the $ou"h so he "ould $ut them in his $o"ket. This was a $ort town#
and the only truthul thing his riend had told him was that $ort towns are ull o thie!es.
Now he understood why the owner o the bar had been so u$set( he was trying to tell
him not to trust that man. +)m like e!eryone else7) see the world in terms o what )
would like to see ha$$en# not what a"tually does.,
%e ran his ingers slowly o!er the stones# sensing their tem$erature and eeling their
sura"es. They were his treasure. <ust handling them made him eel better. They
reminded him o the old man.
+2hen you want something# all the uni!erse "ons$ires in hel$ing you to a"hie!e it#, he
had said.
The boy was trying to understand the truth o what the old man had said. There he
was in the em$ty market$la"e# without a "ent to his name# and with not a shee$ to guard
through the night. .ut the stones were $roo that he had met with a king7a king who
knew o the boys $ast.
+Theyre "alled ?rim and Thummim# and they "an hel$ you to read the omens., The
boy $ut the stones ba"k in the $ou"h and de"ided to do an e&$eriment. The old man had
said to ask !ery "lear 1uestions# and to do that# the boy had to know what he wanted.
So# he asked i the old mans blessing was still with him.
%e took out one o the stones. )t was +yes.,
+Am ) going to ind my treasure3, he asked.
%e stu"k his hand into the $ou"h# and elt around or one o the stones. As he did so#
both o them $ushed through a hole in the $ou"h and ell to the ground. The boy had
ne!er e!en noti"ed that there was a hole in his $ou"h. %e knelt down to ind ?rim and
Thummim and $ut them ba"k in the $ou"h. .ut as he saw them lying there on the
ground# another $hrase "ame to his mind.
+4earn to re"ogni-e omens# and ollow them#, the old king had said.
An omen. The boy smiled to himsel. %e $i"ked u$ the two stones and $ut them ba"k
in his $ou"h. %e didnt "onsider mending the hole7the stones "ould all through any time
they wanted. %e had learned that there were "ertain things one shouldnt ask about# so
as not to lee rom ones own destiny. +) $romised that ) would make my own de"isions#,
he said to himsel.
.ut the stones had told him that the old man was still with him# and that made him
eel more "onident. %e looked around at the em$ty $la-a again# eeling less des$erate
than beore. This wasnt a strange $la"e6 it was a new one.
Ater all# what he had always wanted was 'ust that( to know new $la"es. E!en i he
ne!er got to the Pyramids# he had already tra!eled arther than any she$herd he knew.
Oh# i they only knew how dierent things are 'ust two hours by shi$ rom where they
are# he thought. Although his new world at the moment was 'ust an em$ty market$la"e#
he had already seen it when it was teeming with lie# and he would ne!er orget it. %e
remembered the sword. )t hurt him a bit to think about it# but he had ne!er seen one like
it beore. As he mused about these things# he reali-ed that he had to "hoose between
thinking o himsel as the $oor !i"tim o a thie and as an ad!enturer in 1uest o his
treasure.
+)m an ad!enturer# looking or treasure#, he said to himsel.
/ / /
%e was shaken into wakeulness by someone. %e had allen aslee$ in the middle o the
market$la"e# and lie in the $la-a was about to resume.
4ooking around# he sought his shee$# and then reali-ed that he was in a new world.
.ut instead o being saddened# he was ha$$y. %e no longer had to seek out ood and
water or the shee$6 he "ould go in sear"h o his treasure# instead. %e had not a "ent in
his $o"ket# but he had aith. %e had de"ided# the night beore# that he would be as mu"h
an ad!enturer as the ones he had admired in books.
%e walked slowly through the market. The mer"hants were assembling their stalls#
and the boy hel$ed a "andy seller to do his. The "andy seller had a smile on his a"e( he
was ha$$y# aware o what his lie was about# and ready to begin a days work. %is smile
reminded the boy o the old man7the mysterious old king he had met. +This "andy
mer"hant isnt making "andy so that later he "an tra!el or marry a sho$kee$ers
daughter. %es doing it be"ause its what he wants to do#, thought the boy. %e reali-ed
that he "ould do the same thing the old man had done7sense whether a $erson was
near to or ar rom his destiny. <ust by looking at them. )ts easy# and yet )!e ne!er done
it beore# he thought.
2hen the stall was assembled# the "andy seller oered the boy the irst sweet he had
made or the day. The boy thanked him# ate it# and went on his way. 2hen he had gone
only a short distan"e# he reali-ed that# while they were ere"ting the stall# one o them
had s$oken Arabi" and the other S$anish.
And they had understood ea"h other $ere"tly well.
There must be a language that doesnt de$end on words# the boy thought. )!e
already had that e&$erien"e with my shee$# and now its ha$$ening with $eo$le.
%e was learning a lot o new things. Some o them were things that he had already
e&$erien"ed# and werent really new# but that he had ne!er $er"ei!ed beore. And he
hadnt $er"ei!ed them be"ause he had be"ome a""ustomed to them. %e reali-ed( ) ) "an
learn to understand this language without words# ) "an learn to understand the world.
Rela&ed and unhurried# he resol!ed that he would walk through the narrow streets o
Tangier. Only in that way would he be able to read the omens. %e knew it would re1uire a
lot o $atien"e# but she$herds know all about $atien"e. On"e again he saw that# in that
strange land# he was a$$lying the same lessons he had learned with his shee$.
+All things are one#, the old man had said.
/ / /
The "rystal mer"hant awoke with the day# and elt the same an&iety that he elt e!ery
morning. %e had been in the same $la"e or thirty years( a sho$ at the to$ o a hilly
street where ew "ustomers $assed. Now it was too late to "hange anything7the only
thing he had e!er learned to do was to buy and sell "rystal glassware. There had been a
time when many $eo$le knew o his sho$( Arab mer"hants# =ren"h and English
geologists# 8erman soldiers who were always well*heeled. )n those days it had been
wonderul to be selling "rystal# and he had thought how he would be"ome ri"h# and ha!e
beautiul women at his side as he grew older.
.ut# as time $assed# Tangier had "hanged. The nearby "ity o Ceuta had grown aster
than Tangier# and business had allen o. Neighbors mo!ed away# and there remained
only a ew small sho$s on the hill. And no one was going to "limb the hill 'ust to browse
through a ew small sho$s.
.ut the "rystal mer"hant had no "hoi"e. %e had li!ed thirty years o his lie buying and
selling "rystal $ie"es# and now it was too late to do anything else.
%e s$ent the entire morning obser!ing the inre1uent "omings and goings in the street.
%e had done this or years# and knew the s"hedule o e!eryone who $assed. .ut# 'ust
beore lun"htime# a boy sto$$ed in ront o the sho$. %e was dressed normally# but the
$ra"ti"ed eyes o the "rystal mer"hant "ould see that the boy had no money to s$end.
Ne!ertheless# the mer"hant de"ided to delay his lun"h or a ew minutes until the boy
mo!ed on.
/ / /
A "ard hanging in the doorway announ"ed that se!eral languages were s$oken in the
sho$. The boy saw a man a$$ear behind the "ounter.
+) "an "lean u$ those glasses in the window# i you want#, said the boy. +The way they
look now# nobody is going to want to buy them.,
The man looked at him without res$onding.
+)n e&"hange# you "ould gi!e me something to eat.,
The man still said nothing# and the boy sensed that he was going to ha!e to make a
de"ision. )n his $ou"h# he had his 'a"ket7he "ertainly wasnt going to need it in the
desert. Taking the 'a"ket out# he began to "lean the glasses. )n hal an hour# he had
"leaned all the glasses in the window# and# as he was doing so# two "ustomers had
entered the sho$ and bought some "rystal.
2hen he had "om$leted the "leaning# he asked the man or something to eat. +4ets
go and ha!e some lun"h#, said the "rystal mer"hant.
%e $ut a sign on the door# and they went to a small "aA nearby. As they sat down at
the only table in the $la"e# the "rystal mer"hant laughed.
+5ou didnt ha!e to do any "leaning#, he said. +The Boran re1uires me to eed a hungry
$erson.,
+2ell then# why did you let me do it3, the boy asked.
+.e"ause the "rystal was dirty. And both you and ) needed to "leanse our minds o
negati!e thoughts.,
2hen they had eaten# the mer"hant turned to the boy and said# +)d like you to work
in my sho$. Two "ustomers "ame in today while you were working# and thats a good
omen.,
Peo$le talk a lot about omens# thought the she$herd. .ut they really dont know what
theyre saying. <ust as ) hadnt reali-ed that or so many years ) had been s$eaking a
language without words to my shee$.
+Do you want to go to work or me3, the mer"hant asked.
+) "an work or the rest o today#, the boy answered. +)ll work all night# until dawn#
and )ll "lean e!ery $ie"e o "rystal in your sho$. )n return# ) need money to get to Egy$t
tomorrow.,
The mer"hant laughed. +E!en i you "leaned my "rystal or an entire year . . . e!en i
you earned a good "ommission selling e!ery $ie"e# you would still ha!e to borrow money
to get to Egy$t. There are thousands o kilometers o desert between here and there.,
There was a moment o silen"e so $roound that it seemed the "ity was aslee$. No
sound rom the ba-aars# no arguments among the mer"hants# no men "limbing to the
towers to "hant. No ho$e# no ad!enture# no old kings or destinies# no treasure# and no
Pyramids. )t was as i the world had allen silent be"ause the boys soul had. %e sat
there# staring blankly through the door o the "aA# wishing that he had died# and that
e!erything would end ore!er at that moment.
The mer"hant looked an&iously at the boy. All the 'oy he had seen that morning had
suddenly disa$$eared.
+) "an gi!e you the money you need to get ba"k to your "ountry# my son#, said the
"rystal mer"hant.
The boy said nothing. %e got u$# ad'usted his "lothing# and $i"ked u$ his $ou"h.
+)ll work or you#, he said.
And ater another long silen"e# he added# +) need money to buy some shee$.,
PART T2O
The boy had been working or the "rystal mer"hant or almost a month# and he "ould
see that it wasnt e&a"tly the kind o 'ob that would make him ha$$y. The mer"hant
s$ent the entire day mumbling behind the "ounter# telling the boy to be "areul with the
$ie"es and not to break anything.
.ut he stayed with the 'ob be"ause the mer"hant# although he was an old grou"h#
treated him airly6 the boy re"ei!ed a good "ommission or ea"h $ie"e he sold# and had
already been able to $ut some money aside. That morning he had done some "al"ulating(
i he "ontinued to work e!ery day as he had been# he would need a whole year to be able
to buy some shee$.
+)d like to build a dis$lay "ase or the "rystal#, the boy said to the mer"hant. +2e
"ould $la"e it outside# and attra"t those $eo$le who $ass at the bottom o the hill.,
+)!e ne!er had one beore#, the mer"hant answered. +Peo$le will $ass by and bum$
into it# and $ie"es will be broken.,
+2ell# when ) took my shee$ through the ields some o them might ha!e died i we
had "ome u$on a snake. .ut thats the way lie is with shee$ and with she$herds.,
The mer"hant turned to a "ustomer who wanted three "rystal glasses. %e was selling
better than e!er . . . as i time had turned ba"k to the old days when the street had been
one o Tangiers ma'or attra"tions.
+.usiness has really im$ro!ed#, he said to the boy# ater the "ustomer had let. +)m
doing mu"h better# and soon youll be able to return to your shee$. 2hy ask more out o
lie3,
+.e"ause we ha!e to res$ond to omens#, the boy said# almost without meaning to6
then he regretted what he had said# be"ause the mer"hant had ne!er met the king.
+)ts "alled the $rin"i$le o a!orability# beginners lu"k. .e"ause lie wants you to
a"hie!e your destiny#, the old king had said.
.ut the mer"hant understood what the boy had said. The boys !ery $resen"e in the
sho$ was an omen# and# as time $assed and money was $ouring into the "ash drawer# he
had no regrets about ha!ing hired the boy. The boy was being $aid more money than he
deser!ed# be"ause the mer"hant# thinking that sales wouldnt amount to mu"h# had
oered the boy a high "ommission rate. %e had assumed he would soon return to his
shee$.
+2hy did you want to get to the Pyramids3, he asked# to get away rom the business
o the dis$lay.
+.e"ause )!e always heard about them#, the boy answered# saying nothing about his
dream. The treasure was now nothing but a $ainul memory# and he tried to a!oid
thinking about it.
+) dont know anyone around here who would want to "ross the desert 'ust to see the
Pyramids#, said the mer"hant. +Theyre 'ust a $ile o stones. 5ou "ould build one in your
ba"kyard.,
+5ou!e ne!er had dreams o tra!el#, said the boy# turning to wait on a "ustomer who
had entered the sho$.
Two days later# the mer"hant s$oke to the boy about the dis$lay.
+) dont mu"h like "hange#, he said. +5ou and ) arent like %assan# that ri"h mer"hant.
) he makes a buying mistake# it doesnt ae"t him mu"h. .ut we two ha!e to li!e with
our mistakes.,
Thats true enough# the boy thought# rueully.
+2hy did you think we should ha!e the dis$lay3,
+) want to get ba"k to my shee$ aster. 2e ha!e to take ad!antage when lu"k is on
our side# and do as mu"h to hel$ it as its doing to hel$ us. )ts "alled the $rin"i$le o
a!orability. Or beginners lu"k.,
The mer"hant was silent or a ew moments. Then he said# +The Pro$het ga!e us the
Boran# and let us 'ust i!e obligations to satisy during our li!es. The most im$ortant is
to belie!e only in the one true 8od. The others are to $ray i!e times a day# ast during
Ramadan# and be "haritable to the $oor.,
%e sto$$ed there. %is eyes illed with tears as he s$oke o the Pro$het. %e was a
de!out man# and# e!en with all his im$atien"e# he wanted to li!e his lie in a""ordan"e
with 0uslim law.
+2hats the ith obligation3, the boy asked.
+Two days ago# you said that ) had ne!er dreamed o tra!el#, the mer"hant answered.
+The ith obligation o e!ery 0uslim is a $ilgrimage. 2e are obliged# at least on"e in our
li!es# to !isit the holy "ity o 0e""a.
+0e""a is a lot arther away than the Pyramids. 2hen ) was young# all ) wanted to do
was $ut together enough money to start this sho$. ) thought that someday )d be ri"h#
and "ould go to 0e""a. ) began to make some money# but ) "ould ne!er bring mysel to
lea!e someone in "harge o the sho$6 the "rystals are deli"ate things. At the same time#
$eo$le were $assing my sho$ all the time# heading or 0e""a. Some o them were ri"h
$ilgrims# tra!eling in "ara!ans with ser!ants and "amels# but most o the $eo$le making
the $ilgrimage were $oorer than ).
+All who went there were ha$$y at ha!ing done so. They $la"ed the symbols o the
$ilgrimage on the doors o their houses. One o them# a "obbler who made his li!ing
mending boots# said that he had tra!eled or almost a year through the desert# but that
he got more tired when he had to walk through the streets o Tangier buying his leather.,
+2ell# why dont you go to 0e""a now3, asked the boy.
+.e"ause its the thought o 0e""a that kee$s me ali!e. Thats what hel$s me a"e
these days that are all the same# these mute "rystals on the shel!es# and lun"h and
dinner at that same horrible "aA. )m araid that i my dream is reali-ed# )ll ha!e no
reason to go on li!ing.
+5ou dream about your shee$ and the Pyramids# but youre dierent rom me# be"ause
you want to reali-e your dreams. ) 'ust want to dream about 0e""a. )!e already
imagined a thousand times "rossing the desert# arri!ing at the Pla-a o the Sa"red Stone#
the se!en times ) walk around it beore allowing mysel to tou"h it. )!e already imagined
the $eo$le who would be at my side# and those in ront o me# and the "on!ersations and
$rayers we would share. .ut )m araid that it would all be a disa$$ointment# so ) $reer
'ust to dream about it.,
That day# the mer"hant ga!e the boy $ermission to build the dis$lay. Not e!eryone "an
see his dreams "ome true in the same way.
/ / /
Two more months $assed# and the shel brought many "ustomers into the "rystal
sho$. The boy estimated that# i he worked or si& more months# he "ould return to S$ain
and buy si&ty shee$# and yet another si&ty. )n less than a year# he would ha!e doubled
his lo"k# and he would be able to do business with the Arabs# be"ause he was now able
to s$eak their strange language. Sin"e that morning in the market$la"e# he had ne!er
again made use o ?rim and Thummim# be"ause Egy$t was now 'ust as distant a dream
or him as was 0e""a or the mer"hant. Anyway# the boy had be"ome ha$$y in his work#
and thought all the time about the day when he would disembark at Taria as a winner.
+5ou must always know what it is that you want#, the old king had said. The boy knew#
and was now working toward it. 0aybe it was his treasure to ha!e wound u$ in that
strange land# met u$ with a thie# and doubled the si-e o his lo"k without s$ending a
"ent.
%e was $roud o himsel. %e had learned some im$ortant things# like how to deal in
"rystal# and about the language without words . . . and about omens. One aternoon he
had seen a man at the to$ o the hill# "om$laining that it was im$ossible to ind a de"ent
$la"e to get something to drink ater su"h a "limb. The boy# a""ustomed to re"ogni-ing
omens# s$oke to the mer"hant.
+4ets sell tea to the $eo$le who "limb the hill.,
+4ots o $la"es sell tea around here#, the mer"hant said.
+.ut we "ould sell tea in "rystal glasses. The $eo$le will en'oy the tea and want to buy
the glasses. ) ha!e been told that beauty is the great sedu"er o men.,
The mer"hant didnt res$ond# but that aternoon# ater saying his $rayers and "losing
the sho$# he in!ited the boy to sit with him and share his hookah# that strange $i$e used
by the Arabs.
+2hat is it youre looking or3, asked the old mer"hant.
+)!e already told you. ) need to buy my shee$ ba"k# so ) ha!e to earn the money to
do so.,
The mer"hant $ut some new "oals in the hookah# and inhaled dee$ly.
+)!e had this sho$ or thirty years. ) know good "rystal rom bad# and e!erything else
there is to know about "rystal. ) know its dimensions and how it beha!es. ) we ser!e tea
in "rystal# the sho$ is going to e&$and. And then )ll ha!e to "hange my way o lie.,
+2ell# isnt that good3,
+)m already used to the way things are. .eore you "ame# ) was thinking about how
mu"h time ) had wasted in the same $la"e# while my riends had mo!ed on# and either
went bankru$t or did better than they had beore. )t made me !ery de$ressed. Now# )
"an see that it hasnt been too bad. The sho$ is e&a"tly the si-e ) always wanted it to be.
) dont want to "hange anything# be"ause ) dont know how to deal with "hange. )m used
to the way ) am.,
The boy didnt know what to say. The old man "ontinued# +5ou ha!e been a real
blessing to me. Today# ) understand something ) didnt see beore( e!ery blessing
ignored be"omes a "urse. ) dont want anything else in lie. .ut you are or"ing me to
look at wealth and at hori-ons ) ha!e ne!er known. Now that ) ha!e seen them# and now
that ) see how immense my $ossibilities are# )m going to eel worse than ) did beore
you arri!ed. .e"ause ) know the things ) should be able to a""om$lish# and ) dont want
to do so.,
)ts good ) rerained rom saying anything to the baker in Taria# thought the boy to
himsel.
They went on smoking the $i$e or a while as the sun began to set. They were
"on!ersing in Arabi"# and the boy was $roud o himsel or being able to do so. There had
been a time when he thought that his shee$ "ould tea"h him e!erything he needed to
know about the world. .ut they "ould ne!er ha!e taught him Arabi".
There are $robably other things in the world that the shee$ "ant tea"h me# thought
the boy as he regarded the old mer"hant. All they e!er do# really# is look or ood and
water. And maybe it wasnt that they were tea"hing me# but that ) was learning rom
them.
+Maktub#, the mer"hant said# inally.
+2hat does that mean3,
+5ou would ha!e to ha!e been born an Arab to understand#, he answered. +.ut in your
language it would be something like @)t is written.,
And# as he smothered the "oals in the hookah# he told the boy that he "ould begin to
sell tea in the "rystal glasses. Sometimes# theres 'ust no way to hold ba"k the ri!er.
/ / /
The men "limbed the hill# and they were tired when they rea"hed the to$. .ut there
they saw a "rystal sho$ that oered rereshing mint tea. They went in to drink the tea#
whi"h was ser!ed in beautiul "rystal glasses.
+0y wie ne!er thought o this#, said one# and he bought some "rystal7he was
entertaining guests that night# and the guests would be im$ressed by the beauty o the
glassware. The other man remarked that tea was always more deli"ious when it was
ser!ed in "rystal# be"ause the aroma was retained. The third said that it was a tradition
in the Orient to use "rystal glasses or tea be"ause it had magi"al $owers.
.eore long# the news s$read# and a great many $eo$le began to "limb the hill to see
the sho$ that was doing something new in a trade that was so old. Other sho$s were
o$ened that ser!ed tea in "rystal# but they werent at the to$ o a hill# and they had little
business.
E!entually# the mer"hant had to hire two more em$loyees. %e began to im$ort
enormous 1uantities o tea# along with his "rystal# and his sho$ was sought out by men
and women with a thirst or things new.
And# in that way# the months $assed.
/ / /
The boy awoke beore dawn. )t had been ele!en months and nine days sin"e he had
irst set oot on the Ari"an "ontinent.
%e dressed in his Arabian "lothing o white linen# bought es$e"ially or this day. %e $ut
his head"loth in $la"e and se"ured it with a ring made o "amel skin. 2earing his new
sandals# he des"ended the stairs silently.
The "ity was still slee$ing. %e $re$ared himsel a sandwi"h and drank some hot tea
rom a "rystal glass. Then he sat in the sun*illed doorway# smoking the hookah.
%e smoked in silen"e# thinking o nothing# and listening to the sound o the wind that
brought the s"ent o the desert. 2hen he had inished his smoke# he rea"hed into one o
his $o"kets# and sat there or a ew moments# regarding what he had withdrawn.
)t was a bundle o money. Enough to buy himsel a hundred and twenty shee$# a
return ti"ket# and a li"ense to im$ort $rodu"ts rom Ari"a into his own "ountry.
%e waited $atiently or the mer"hant to awaken and o$en the sho$. Then the two went
o to ha!e some more tea.
+)m lea!ing today#, said the boy. +) ha!e the money ) need to buy my shee$. And you
ha!e the money you need to go to 0e""a.,
The old man said nothing.
+2ill you gi!e me your blessing3, asked the boy. +5ou ha!e hel$ed me., The man
"ontinued to $re$are his tea# saying nothing. Then he turned to the boy.
+) am $roud o you#, he said. +5ou brought a new eeling into my "rystal sho$. .ut you
know that )m not going to go to 0e""a. <ust as you know that youre not going to buy
your shee$.,
+2ho told you that3, asked the boy# startled.
+Maktub, said the old "rystal mer"hant.
And he ga!e the boy his blessing.
/ / /
The boy went to his room and $a"ked his belongings. They illed three sa"ks. As he
was lea!ing# he saw# in the "orner o the room# his old she$herds $ou"h. )t was bun"hed
u$# and he had hardly thought o it or a long time. As he took his 'a"ket out o the
$ou"h# thinking to gi!e it to someone in the street# the two stones ell to the loor. ?rim
and Thummim.
)t made the boy think o the old king# and it startled him to reali-e how long it had
been sin"e he had thought o him. =or nearly a year# he had been working in"essantly#
thinking only o $utting aside enough money so that he "ould return to S$ain with $ride.
+Ne!er sto$ dreaming#, the old king had said. +=ollow the omens.,
The boy $i"ked u$ ?rim and Thummim# and# on"e again# had the strange sensation
that the old king was nearby. %e had worked hard or a year# and the omens were that it
was time to go.
)m going to go ba"k to doing 'ust what ) did beore# the boy thought. E!en though the
shee$ didnt tea"h me to s$eak Arabi".
.ut the shee$ had taught him something e!en more im$ortant( that there was a
language in the world that e!eryone understood# a language the boy had used
throughout the time that he was trying to im$ro!e things at the sho$. )t was the
language o enthusiasm# o things a""om$lished with lo!e and $ur$ose# and as $art o a
sear"h or something belie!ed in and desired. Tangier was no longer a strange "ity# and
he elt that# 'ust as he had "on1uered this $la"e# he "ould "on1uer the world.
+2hen you want something# all the uni!erse "ons$ires to hel$ you a"hie!e it#, the old
king had said.
.ut the old king hadnt said anything about being robbed# or about endless deserts# or
about $eo$le who know what their dreams are but dont want to reali-e them. The old
king hadnt told him that the Pyramids were 'ust a $ile o stones# or that anyone "ould
build one in his ba"kyard. And he had orgotten to mention that# when you ha!e enough
money to buy a lo"k larger than the one you had beore# you should buy it.
The boy $i"ked u$ his $ou"h and $ut it with his other things. %e went down the stairs
and ound the mer"hant waiting on a oreign "ou$le# while two other "ustomers walked
about the sho$# drinking tea rom "rystal glasses. )t was more a"ti!ity than usual or this
time o the morning. =rom where he stood# he saw or the irst time that the old
mer"hants hair was !ery mu"h like the hair o the old king. %e remembered the smile o
the "andy seller# on his irst day in Tangier# when he had nothing to eat and nowhere to
go7that smile had also been like the old kings smile.
)ts almost as i he had been here and let his mark# he thought. And yet# none o
these $eo$le has e!er met the old king. On the other hand# he said that he always
a$$eared to hel$ those who are trying to reali-e their destiny.
%e let without saying good*bye to the "rystal mer"hant. %e didnt want to "ry with the
other $eo$le there. %e was going to miss the $la"e and all the good things he had
learned. %e was more "onident in himsel# though# and elt as though he "ould "on1uer
the world.
+.ut )m going ba"k to the ields that ) know# to take "are o my lo"k again., %e said
that to himsel with "ertainty# but he was no longer ha$$y with his de"ision. %e had
worked or an entire year to make a dream "ome true# and that dream# minute by
minute# was be"oming less im$ortant. 0aybe be"ause that wasnt really his dream.
2ho knows . . . maybe its better to be like the "rystal mer"hant( ne!er go to 0e""a#
and 'ust go through lie wanting to do so# he thought# again trying to "on!in"e himsel.
.ut as he held ?rim and Thummim in his hand# they had transmitted to him the strength
and will o the old king. .y "oin"iden"e7or maybe it was an omen# the boy thought7he
"ame to the bar he had entered on his irst day there. The thie wasnt there# and the
owner brought him a "u$ o tea.
) "an always go ba"k to being a she$herd# the boy thought. ) learned how to "are or
shee$# and ) ha!ent orgotten how thats done. .ut maybe )ll ne!er ha!e another
"han"e to get to the Pyramids in Egy$t. The old man wore a breast$late o gold# and he
knew about my $ast. %e really was a king# a wise king.
The hills o Andalusia were only two hours away# but there was an entire desert
between him and the Pyramids. 5et the boy elt that there was another way to regard his
situation( he was a"tually two hours "loser to his treasure . . . the a"t that the two hours
had stret"hed into an entire year didnt matter.
) know why ) want to get ba"k to my lo"k# he thought. ) understand shee$6 theyre no
longer a $roblem# and they "an be good riends. On the other hand# ) dont know i the
desert "an be a riend# and its in the desert that ) ha!e to sear"h or my treasure. ) )
dont ind it# ) "an always go home. ) inally ha!e enough money# and all the time ) need.
2hy not3
%e suddenly elt tremendously ha$$y. %e "ould always go ba"k to being a she$herd.
%e "ould always be"ome a "rystal salesman again. 0aybe the world had other hidden
treasures# but he had a dream# and he had met with a king. That doesnt ha$$en to 'ust
anyone9
%e was $lanning as he let the bar. %e had remembered that one o the "rystal
mer"hants su$$liers trans$orted his "rystal by means o "ara!ans that "rossed the
desert. %e held ?rim and Thummim in his hand6 be"ause o those two stones# he was
on"e again on the way to his treasure.
+) am always nearby# when someone wants to reali-e their destiny#, the old king had
told him.
2hat "ould it "ost to go o!er to the su$$liers warehouse and ind out i the Pyramids
were really that ar away3
/ / /
The Englishman was sitting on a ben"h in a stru"ture that smelled o animals# sweat#
and dust6 it was $art warehouse# $art "orral. ) ne!er thought )d end u$ in a $la"e like
this# he thought# as he leaed through the $ages o a "hemi"al 'ournal. Ten years at the
uni!ersity# and here ) am in a "orral.
.ut he had to mo!e on. %e belie!ed in omens. All his lie and all his studies were
aimed at inding the one true language o the uni!erse. =irst he had studied Es$eranto#
then the worlds religions# and now it was al"hemy. %e knew how to s$eak Es$eranto# he
understood all the ma'or religions well# but he wasnt yet an al"hemist. %e had unra!eled
the truths behind im$ortant 1uestions# but his studies had taken him to a $oint beyond
whi"h he "ould not seem to go. %e had tried in !ain to establish a relationshi$ with an
al"hemist. .ut the al"hemists were strange $eo$le# who thought only about themsel!es#
and almost always reused to hel$ him. 2ho knows# maybe they had ailed to dis"o!er
the se"ret o the 0aster 2ork7the Philoso$hers Stone7and or this reason ke$t their
knowledge to themsel!es.
%e had already s$ent mu"h o the ortune let to him by his ather# ruitlessly seeking
the Philoso$hers Stone. %e had s$ent enormous amounts o time at the great libraries o
the world# and had $ur"hased all the rarest and most im$ortant !olumes on al"hemy. )n
one he had read that# many years ago# a amous Arabian al"hemist had !isited Euro$e. )t
was said that he was more than two hundred years old# and that he had dis"o!ered the
Philoso$hers Stone and the Eli&ir o 4ie. The Englishman had been $rooundly im$ressed
by the story. .ut he would ne!er ha!e thought it more than 'ust a myth# had not a riend
o his7returning rom an ar"haeologi"al e&$edition in the desert7told him about an Arab
that was $ossessed o e&"e$tional $owers.
+%e li!es at the Al*=ayoum oasis#, his riend had said. +And $eo$le say that he is two
hundred years old# and is able to transorm any metal into gold.,
The Englishman "ould not "ontain his e&"itement. %e "an"eled all his "ommitments
and $ulled together the most im$ortant o his books# and now here he was# sitting inside
a dusty# smelly warehouse. Outside# a huge "ara!an was being $re$ared or a "rossing o
the Sahara# and was s"heduled to $ass through Al*=ayoum.
)m going to ind that damned al"hemist# the Englishman thought. And the odor o the
animals be"ame a bit more tolerable.
A young Arab# also loaded down with baggage# entered# and greeted the Englishman.
+2here are you bound3, asked the young Arab.
+)m going into the desert#, the man answered# turning ba"k to his reading. %e didnt
want any "on!ersation at this $oint. 2hat he needed to do was re!iew all he had learned
o!er the years# be"ause the al"hemist would "ertainly $ut him to the test.
The young Arab took out a book and began to read. The book was written in S$anish.
Thats good# thought the Englishman. %e s$oke S$anish better than Arabi"# and# i this
boy was going to Al*=ayoum# there would be someone to talk to when there were no
other im$ortant things to do.
/ / /
+Thats strange#, said the boy# as he tried on"e again to read the burial s"ene that
began the book. +)!e been trying or two years to read this book# and ) ne!er get $ast
these irst ew $ages., E!en without a king to $ro!ide an interru$tion# he was unable to
"on"entrate.
%e still had some doubts about the de"ision he had made. .ut he was able to
understand one thing( making a de"ision was only the beginning o things. 2hen
someone makes a de"ision# he is really di!ing into a strong "urrent that will "arry him to
$la"es he had ne!er dreamed o when he irst made the de"ision.
2hen ) de"ided to seek out my treasure# ) ne!er imagined that )d wind u$ working in
a "rystal sho$# he thought. And 'oining this "ara!an may ha!e been my de"ision# but
where it goes is going to be a mystery to me.
Nearby was the Englishman# reading a book. %e seemed unriendly# and had looked
irritated when the boy had entered. They might e!en ha!e be"ome riends# but the
Englishman "losed o the "on!ersation.
The boy "losed his book. %e elt that he didnt want to do anything that might make
him look like the Englishman. %e took ?rim and Thummim rom his $o"ket# and began
$laying with them.
The stranger shouted# +?rim and Thummim9,
)n a lash the boy $ut them ba"k in his $o"ket.
+Theyre not or sale#, he said.
+Theyre not worth mu"h#, the Englishman answered. +Theyre only made o ro"k
"rystal# and there are millions o ro"k "rystals in the earth. .ut those who know about
su"h things would know that those are ?rim and Thummim. ) didnt know that they had
them in this $art o the world.,
+They were gi!en to me as a $resent by a king#, the boy said.
The stranger didnt answer6 instead# he $ut his hand in his $o"ket# and took out two
stones that were the same as the boys.
+Did you say a king3, he asked.
+) guess you dont belie!e that a king would talk to someone like me# a she$herd#, he
said# wanting to end the "on!ersation.
+Not at all. )t was she$herds who were the irst to re"ogni-e a king that the rest o the
world reused to a"knowledge. So# its not sur$rising that kings would talk to she$herds.,
And he went on# earing that the boy wouldnt understand what he was talking about#
+)ts in the .ible. The same book that taught me about ?rim and Thummim. These stones
were the only orm o di!ination $ermitted by 8od. The $riests "arried them in a golden
breast$late.,
The boy was suddenly ha$$y to be there at the warehouse.
+0aybe this is an omen#, said the Englishman# hal aloud.
+2ho told you about omens3, The boys interest was in"reasing by the moment.
+E!erything in lie is an omen#, said the Englishman# now "losing the 'ournal he was
reading. +There is a uni!ersal language# understood by e!erybody# but already orgotten.
) am in sear"h o that uni!ersal language# among other things. Thats why )m here. )
ha!e to ind a man who knows that uni!ersal language. An al"hemist.,
The "on!ersation was interru$ted by the warehouse boss.
+5oure in lu"k# you two#, the at Arab said. +Theres a "ara!an lea!ing today or Al*
=ayoum.,
+.ut )m going to Egy$t#, the boy said.
+Al*=ayoum is in Egy$t#, said the Arab. +2hat kind o Arab are you3,
+Thats a good lu"k omen#, the Englishman said# ater the at Arab had gone out. +) )
"ould# )d write a huge en"y"lo$edia 'ust about the words luck and coincidence. )ts with
those words that the uni!ersal language is written.,
%e told the boy it was no "oin"iden"e that he had met him with ?rim and Thummim in
his hand. And he asked the boy i he# too# were in sear"h o the al"hemist.
+)m looking or a treasure#, said the boy# and he immediately regretted ha!ing said it.
.ut the Englishman a$$eared not to atta"h any im$ortan"e to it.
+)n a way# so am )#, he said.
+) dont e!en know what al"hemy is#, the boy was saying# when the warehouse boss
"alled to them to "ome outside.
/ / /
+)m the leader o the "ara!an#, said a dark*eyed# bearded man. +) hold the $ower o
lie and death or e!ery $erson ) take with me. The desert is a "a$ri"ious lady# and
sometimes she dri!es men "ra-y.,
There were almost two hundred $eo$le gathered there# and our hundred animals7
"amels# horses# mules# and owl. )n the "rowd were women# "hildren# and a number o
men with swords at their belts and riles slung on their shoulders. The Englishman had
se!eral suit"ases illed with books. There was a babble o noise# and the leader had to
re$eat himsel se!eral times or e!eryone to understand what he was saying.
+There are a lot o dierent $eo$le here# and ea"h has his own 8od. .ut the only 8od
) ser!e is Allah# and in his name ) swear that ) will do e!erything $ossible on"e again to
win out o!er the desert. .ut ) want ea"h and e!ery one o you to swear by the 8od you
belie!e in that you will ollow my orders no matter what. )n the desert# disobedien"e
means death.,
There was a murmur rom the "rowd. Ea"h was swearing 1uietly to his or her own
8od. The boy swore to <esus Christ. The Englishman said nothing. And the murmur
lasted longer than a sim$le !ow would ha!e. The $eo$le were also $raying to hea!en or
$rote"tion.
A long note was sounded on a bugle# and e!eryone mounted u$. The boy and the
Englishman had bought "amels# and "limbed un"ertainly onto their ba"ks. The boy elt
sorry or the Englishmans "amel# loaded down as he was with the "ases o books.
+Theres no su"h thing as "oin"iden"e#, said the Englishman# $i"king u$ the
"on!ersation where it had been interru$ted in the warehouse. +)m here be"ause a riend
o mine heard o an Arab who . . .,
.ut the "ara!an began to mo!e# and it was im$ossible to hear what the Englishman
was saying. The boy knew what he was about to des"ribe# though( the mysterious "hain
that links one thing to another# the same "hain that had "aused him to be"ome a
she$herd# that had "aused his re"urring dream# that had brought him to a "ity near
Ari"a# to ind a king# and to be robbed in order to meet a "rystal mer"hant# and . . .
The "loser one gets to reali-ing his destiny# the more that destiny be"omes his true
reason or being# thought the boy.
The "ara!an mo!ed toward the east. )t tra!eled during the morning# halted when the
sun was at its strongest# and resumed late in the aternoon. The boy s$oke !ery little
with the Englishman# who s$ent most o his time with his books.
The boy obser!ed in silen"e the $rogress o the animals and $eo$le a"ross the desert.
Now e!erything was 1uite dierent rom how it was that day they had set out( then#
there had been "onusion and shouting# the "ries o "hildren and the whinnying o
animals# all mi&ed with the ner!ous orders o the guides and the mer"hants.
.ut# in the desert# there was only the sound o the eternal wind# and o the hoobeats
o the animals. E!en the guides s$oke !ery little to one another.
+)!e "rossed these sands many times#, said one o the "amel dri!ers one night. +.ut
the desert is so huge# and the hori-ons so distant# that they make a $erson eel small#
and as i he should remain silent.,
The boy understood intuiti!ely what he meant# e!en without e!er ha!ing set oot in
the desert beore. 2hene!er he saw the sea# or a ire# he ell silent# im$ressed by their
elemental or"e.
)!e learned things rom the shee$# and )!e learned things rom "rystal# he thought. )
"an learn something rom the desert# too. )t seems old and wise.
The wind ne!er sto$$ed# and the boy remembered the day he had sat at the ort in
Taria with this same wind blowing in his a"e. )t reminded him o the wool rom his
shee$ . . . his shee$ who were now seeking ood and water in the ields o Andalusia# as
they always had.
+Theyre not my shee$ anymore#, he said to himsel# without nostalgia. +They must be
used to their new she$herd# and ha!e $robably already orgotten me. Thats good.
Creatures like the shee$# that are used to tra!eling# know about mo!ing on.,
%e thought o the mer"hants daughter# and was sure that she had $robably married.
Perha$s to a baker# or to another she$herd who "ould read and "ould tell her e&"iting
stories7ater all# he $robably wasnt the only one. .ut he was e&"ited at his intuiti!e
understanding o the "amel dri!ers "omment( maybe he was also learning the uni!ersal
language that deals with the $ast and the $resent o all $eo$le. +%un"hes#, his mother
used to "all them. The boy was beginning to understand that intuition is really a sudden
immersion o the soul into the uni!ersal "urrent o lie# where the histories o all $eo$le
are "onne"ted# and we are able to know e!erything# be"ause its all written there.
+Maktub#, the boy said# remembering the "rystal mer"hant.
The desert was all sand in some stret"hes# and ro"ky in others. 2hen the "ara!an was
blo"ked by a boulder# it had to go around it6 i there was a large ro"ky area# they had to
make a ma'or detour. ) the sand was too ine or the animals hoo!es# they sought a way
where the sand was more substantial. )n some $la"es# the ground was "o!ered with the
salt o dried*u$ lakes. The animals balked at su"h $la"es# and the "amel dri!ers were
or"ed to dismount and unburden their "harges. The dri!ers "arried the reight
themsel!es o!er su"h trea"herous ooting# and then reloaded the "amels. ) a guide were
to all ill or die# the "amel dri!ers would draw lots and a$$oint a new one.
.ut all this ha$$ened or one basi" reason( no matter how many detours and
ad'ustments it made# the "ara!an mo!ed toward the same "om$ass $oint. On"e
obsta"les were o!er"ome# it returned to its "ourse# sighting on a star that indi"ated the
lo"ation o the oasis. 2hen the $eo$le saw that star shining in the morning sky# they
knew they were on the right "ourse toward water# $alm trees# shelter# and other $eo$le.
)t was only the Englishman who was unaware o all this6 he was# or the most $art#
immersed in reading his books.
The boy# too# had his book# and he had tried to read it during the irst ew days o the
'ourney. .ut he ound it mu"h more interesting to obser!e the "ara!an and listen to the
wind. As soon as he had learned to know his "amel better# and to establish a relationshi$
with him# he threw the book away. Although the boy had de!elo$ed a su$erstition that
ea"h time he o$ened the book he would learn something im$ortant# he de"ided it was an
unne"essary burden.
%e be"ame riendly with the "amel dri!er who tra!eled alongside him. At night# as
they sat around the ire# the boy related to the dri!er his ad!entures as a she$herd.
During one o these "on!ersations# the dri!er told o his own lie.
+) used to li!e near El Cairum#, he said. +) had my or"hard# my "hildren# and a lie that
would "hange not at all until ) died. One year# when the "ro$ was the best e!er# we all
went to 0e""a# and ) satisied the only unmet obligation in my lie. ) "ould die ha$$ily#
and that made me eel good.
+One day# the earth began to tremble# and the Nile o!erlowed its banks. )t was
something that ) thought "ould ha$$en only to others# ne!er to me. 0y neighbors eared
they would lose all their oli!e trees in the lood# and my wie was araid that we would
lose our "hildren. ) thought that e!erything ) owned would be destroyed.
+The land was ruined# and ) had to ind some other way to earn a li!ing. So now )m a
"amel dri!er. .ut that disaster taught me to understand the word o Allah( $eo$le need
not ear the unknown i they are "a$able o a"hie!ing what they need and want.
+2e are araid o losing what we ha!e# whether its our lie or our $ossessions and
$ro$erty. .ut this ear e!a$orates when we understand that our lie stories and the
history o the world were written by the same hand.,
Sometimes# their "ara!an met with another. One always had something that the other
needed7as i e!erything were indeed written by one hand. As they sat around the ire#
the "amel dri!ers e&"hanged inormation about windstorms# and told stories about the
desert.
At other times# mysterious# hooded men would a$$ear6 they were .edouins who did
sur!eillan"e along the "ara!an route. They $ro!ided warnings about thie!es and
barbarian tribes. They "ame in silen"e and de$arted the same way# dressed in bla"k
garments that showed only their eyes. One night# a "amel dri!er "ame to the ire where
the Englishman and the boy were sitting. +There are rumors o tribal wars#, he told them.
The three ell silent. The boy noted that there was a sense o ear in the air# e!en
though no one said anything. On"e again he was e&$erien"ing the language without
words . . . the uni!ersal language.
The Englishman asked i they were in danger.
+On"e you get into the desert# theres no going ba"k#, said the "amel dri!er. +And#
when you "ant go ba"k# you ha!e to worry only about the best way o mo!ing orward.
The rest is u$ to Allah# in"luding the danger.,
And he "on"luded by saying the mysterious word( +Maktub.,
+5ou should $ay more attention to the "ara!an#, the boy said to the Englishman# ater
the "amel dri!er had let. +2e make a lot o detours# but were always heading or the
same destination.,
+And you ought to read more about the world#, answered the Englishman. +.ooks are
like "ara!ans in that res$e"t.,
The immense "olle"tion o $eo$le and animals began to tra!el aster. The days had
always been silent# but now# e!en the nights7when the tra!elers were a""ustomed to
talking around the ires7had also be"ome 1uiet. And# one day# the leader o the "ara!an
made the de"ision that the ires should no longer be lighted# so as not to attra"t attention
to the "ara!an.
The tra!elers ado$ted the $ra"ti"e o arranging the animals in a "ir"le at night#
slee$ing together in the "enter as $rote"tion against the no"turnal "old. And the leader
$osted armed sentinels at the ringes o the grou$.
The Englishman was unable to slee$ one night. %e "alled to the boy# and they took a
walk along the dunes surrounding the en"am$ment. There was a ull moon# and the boy
told the Englishman the story o his lie.
The Englishman was as"inated with the $art about the $rogress a"hie!ed at the
"rystal sho$ ater the boy began working there.
+Thats the $rin"i$le that go!erns all things#, he said. +)n al"hemy# its "alled the Soul
o the 2orld. 2hen you want something with all your heart# thats when you are "losest
to the Soul o the 2orld. )ts always a $ositi!e or"e.,
%e also said that this was not 'ust a human git# that e!erything on the a"e o the
earth had a soul# whether mineral# !egetable# or animal7or e!en 'ust a sim$le thought.
+E!erything on earth is being "ontinuously transormed# be"ause the earth is ali!e . . .
and it has a soul. 2e are $art o that soul# so we rarely re"ogni-e that it is working or
us. .ut in the "rystal sho$ you $robably reali-ed that e!en the glasses were "ollaborating
in your su""ess.,
The boy thought about that or a while as he looked at the moon and the blea"hed
sands. +) ha!e wat"hed the "ara!an as it "rossed the desert#, he said. +The "ara!an and
the desert s$eak the same language# and its or that reason that the desert allows the
"rossing. )ts going to test the "ara!ans e!ery ste$ to see i its in time# and# i it is# we
will make it to the oasis.,
+) either o us had 'oined this "ara!an based only on $ersonal "ourage# but without
understanding that language# this 'ourney would ha!e been mu"h more dii"ult.,
They stood there looking at the moon.
+Thats the magi" o omens#, said the boy. +)!e seen how the guides read the signs o
the desert# and how the soul o the "ara!an s$eaks to the soul o the desert.,
The Englishman said# +)d better $ay more attention to the "ara!an.,
+And )d better read your books#, said the boy.
/ / /
They were strange books. They s$oke about mer"ury# salt# dragons# and kings# and he
didnt understand any o it. .ut there was one idea that seemed to re$eat itsel
throughout all the books( all things are the maniestation o one thing only.
)n one o the books he learned that the most im$ortant te&t in the literature o
al"hemy "ontained only a ew lines# and had been ins"ribed on the sura"e o an emerald.
+)ts the Emerald Tablet#, said the Englishman# $roud that he might tea"h something to
the boy.
+2ell# then# why do we need all these books3, the boy asked.
+So that we "an understand those ew lines#, the Englishman answered# without
a$$earing really to belie!e what he had said.
The book that most interested the boy told the stories o the amous al"hemists. They
were men who had dedi"ated their entire li!es to the $urii"ation o metals in their
laboratories6 they belie!ed that# i a metal were heated or many years# it would ree
itsel o all its indi!idual $ro$erties# and what was let would be the Soul o the 2orld.
This Soul o the 2orld allowed them to understand anything on the a"e o the earth#
be"ause it was the language with whi"h all things "ommuni"ated. They "alled that
dis"o!ery the 0aster 2ork7it was $art li1uid and $art solid.
+Cant you 'ust obser!e men and omens in order to understand the language3, the
boy asked.
+5ou ha!e a mania or sim$liying e!erything#, answered the Englishman# irritated.
+Al"hemy is a serious dis"i$line. E!ery ste$ has to be ollowed e&a"tly as it was ollowed
by the masters.,
The boy learned that the li1uid $art o the 0aster 2ork was "alled the Eli&ir o 4ie#
and that it "ured all illnesses6 it also ke$t the al"hemist rom growing old. And the solid
$art was "alled the Philoso$hers Stone.
+)ts not easy to ind the Philoso$hers Stone#, said the Englishman. +The al"hemists
s$ent years in their laboratories# obser!ing the ire that $uriied the metals. They s$ent
so mu"h time "lose to the ire that gradually they ga!e u$ the !anities o the world. They
dis"o!ered that the $urii"ation o the metals had led to a $urii"ation o themsel!es.,
The boy thought about the "rystal mer"hant. %e had said that it was a good thing or
the boy to "lean the "rystal $ie"es# so that he "ould ree himsel rom negati!e thoughts.
The boy was be"oming more and more "on!in"ed that al"hemy "ould be learned in ones
daily lie.
+Also#, said the Englishman# +the Philoso$hers Stone has a as"inating $ro$erty. A
small sli!er o the stone "an transorm large 1uantities o metal into gold.,
%a!ing heard that# the boy be"ame e!en more interested in al"hemy. %e thought that#
with some $atien"e# hed be able to transorm e!erything into gold. %e read the li!es o
the !arious $eo$le who had su""eeded in doing so( %el!Atius# Elias# =ul"anelli# and 8eber.
They were as"inating stories( ea"h o them li!ed out his destiny to the end. They
tra!eled# s$oke with wise men# $erormed mira"les or the in"redulous# and owned the
Philoso$hers Stone and the Eli&ir o 4ie.
.ut when the boy wanted to learn how to a"hie!e the 0aster 2ork# he be"ame
"om$letely lost. There were 'ust drawings# "oded instru"tions# and obs"ure te&ts.
/ / /
+2hy do they make things so "om$li"ated3, he asked the Englishman one night. The
boy had noti"ed that the Englishman was irritable# and missed his books.
+So that those who ha!e the res$onsibility or understanding "an understand#, he said.
+)magine i e!eryone went around transorming lead into gold. 8old would lose its !alue.
+)ts only those who are $ersistent# and willing to study things dee$ly# who a"hie!e the
0aster 2ork. Thats why )m here in the middle o the desert. )m seeking a true
al"hemist who will hel$ me to de"i$her the "odes.,
+2hen were these books written3, the boy asked.
+0any "enturies ago.,
+They didnt ha!e the $rinting $ress in those days#, the boy argued. +There was no
way or e!erybody to know about al"hemy. 2hy did they use su"h strange language# with
so many drawings3,
The Englishman didnt answer him dire"tly. %e said that or the $ast ew days he had
been $aying attention to how the "ara!an o$erated# but that he hadnt learned anything
new. The only thing he had noti"ed was that talk o war was be"oming more and more
re1uent.
/ / /
Then one day the boy returned the books to the Englishman. +Did you learn
anything3, the Englishman asked# eager to hear what it might be. %e needed someone to
talk to so as to a!oid thinking about the $ossibility o war.
+) learned that the world has a soul# and that whoe!er understands that soul "an also
understand the language o things. ) learned that many al"hemists reali-ed their
destinies# and wound u$ dis"o!ering the Soul o the 2orld# the Philoso$hers Stone# and
the Eli&ir o 4ie.
+.ut# abo!e all# ) learned that these things are all so sim$le that they "ould be written
on the sura"e o an emerald.,
The Englishman was disa$$ointed. The years o resear"h# the magi" symbols# the
strange words and the laboratory e1ui$ment . . . none o this had made an im$ression on
the boy. %is soul must be too $rimiti!e to understand those things# he thought.
%e took ba"k his books and $a"ked them away again in their bags.
+8o ba"k to wat"hing the "ara!an#, he said. +That didnt tea"h me anything# either.,
The boy went ba"k to "ontem$lating the silen"e o the desert# and the sand raised by
the animals. +E!eryone has his or her own way o learning things#, he said to himsel.
+%is way isnt the same as mine# nor mine as his. .ut were both in sear"h o our
destinies# and ) res$e"t him or that.,
/ / /
The "ara!an began to tra!el day and night. The hooded .edouins rea$$eared more
and more re1uently# and the "amel dri!er7who had be"ome a good riend o the boys7
e&$lained that the war between the tribes had already begun. The "ara!an would be !ery
lu"ky to rea"h the oasis.
The animals were e&hausted# and the men talked among themsel!es less and less.
The silen"e was the worst as$e"t o the night# when the mere groan o a "amel7whi"h
beore had been nothing but the groan o a "amel7now rightened e!eryone# be"ause it
might signal a raid.
The "amel dri!er# though# seemed not to be !ery "on"erned with the threat o war.
+)m ali!e#, he said to the boy# as they ate a bun"h o dates one night# with no ires
and no moon. +2hen )m eating# thats all ) think about. ) )m on the mar"h# ) 'ust
"on"entrate on mar"hing. ) ) ha!e to ight# it will be 'ust as good a day to die as any
other.
+.e"ause ) dont li!e in either my $ast or my uture. )m interested only in the $resent.
) you "an "on"entrate always on the $resent# youll be a ha$$y man. 5oull see that there
is lie in the desert# that there are stars in the hea!ens# and that tribesmen ight be"ause
they are $art o the human ra"e. 4ie will be a $arty or you# a grand esti!al# be"ause lie
is the moment were li!ing right now.,
Two nights later# as he was getting ready to bed down# the boy looked or the star they
ollowed e!ery night. %e thought that the hori-on was a bit lower than it had been#
be"ause he seemed to see stars on the desert itsel.
+)ts the oasis#, said the "amel dri!er.
+2ell# why dont we go there right now3, the boy asked.
+.e"ause we ha!e to slee$.,
/ / /
The boy awoke as the sun rose. There# in ront o him# where the small stars had been
the night beore# was an endless row o date $alms# stret"hing a"ross the entire desert.
+2e!e done it9, said the Englishman# who had also awakened early.
.ut the boy was 1uiet. %e was at home with the silen"e o the desert# and he was
"ontent 'ust to look at the trees. %e still had a long way to go to rea"h the $yramids# and
someday this morning would 'ust be a memory. .ut this was the $resent moment7the
$arty the "amel dri!er had mentioned7and he wanted to li!e it as he did the lessons o
his $ast and his dreams o the uture. Although the !ision o the date $alms would
someday be 'ust a memory# right now it signiied shade# water# and a reuge rom the
war. 5esterday# the "amels groan signaled danger# and now a row o date $alms "ould
herald a mira"le.
The world s$eaks many languages# the boy thought.
/ / /
The times rush $ast# and so do the "ara!ans# thought the al"hemist# as he wat"hed
the hundreds o $eo$le and animals arri!ing at the oasis. Peo$le were shouting at the
new arri!als# dust obs"ured the desert sun# and the "hildren o the oasis were bursting
with e&"itement at the arri!al o the strangers. The al"hemist saw the tribal "hies greet
the leader o the "ara!an# and "on!erse with him at length.
.ut none o that mattered to the al"hemist. %e had already seen many $eo$le "ome
and go# and the desert remained as it was. %e had seen kings and beggars walking the
desert sands. The dunes were "hanged "onstantly by the wind# yet these were the same
sands he had known sin"e he was a "hild. %e always en'oyed seeing the ha$$iness that
the tra!elers e&$erien"ed when# ater weeks o yellow sand and blue sky# they irst saw
the green o the date $alms. 0aybe 8od "reated the desert so that man "ould a$$re"iate
the date trees# he thought.
%e de"ided to "on"entrate on more $ra"ti"al matters. %e knew that in the "ara!an
there was a man to whom he was to tea"h some o his se"rets. The omens had told him
so. %e didnt know the man yet# but his $ra"ti"ed eye would re"ogni-e him when he
a$$eared. %e ho$ed that it would be someone as "a$able as his $re!ious a$$renti"e.
) dont know why these things ha!e to be transmitted by word o mouth# he thought.
)t wasnt e&a"tly that they were se"rets6 8od re!ealed his se"rets easily to all his
"reatures.
%e had only one e&$lanation or this a"t( things ha!e to be transmitted this way
be"ause they were made u$ rom the $ure lie# and this kind o lie "annot be "a$tured in
$i"tures or words.
.e"ause $eo$le be"ome as"inated with $i"tures and words# and wind u$ orgetting
the 4anguage o the 2orld.
/ / /
The boy "ouldnt belie!e what he was seeing( the oasis# rather than being 'ust a well
surrounded by a ew $alm trees7as he had seen on"e in a geogra$hy book7was mu"h
larger than many towns ba"k in S$ain. There were three hundred wells# ity thousand
date trees# and innumerable "olored tents s$read among them.
+)t looks like The Thousand and One Nights#, said the Englishman# im$atient to meet
with the al"hemist.
They were surrounded by "hildren# "urious to look at the animals and $eo$le that were
arri!ing. The men o the oasis wanted to know i they had seen any ighting# and the
women "om$eted with one another or a""ess to the "loth and $re"ious stones brought
by the mer"hants. The silen"e o the desert was a distant dream6 the tra!elers in the
"ara!an were talking in"essantly# laughing and shouting# as i they had emerged rom the
s$iritual world and ound themsel!es on"e again in the world o $eo$le. They were
relie!ed and ha$$y.
They had been taking "areul $re"autions in the desert# but the "amel dri!er e&$lained
to the boy that oases were always "onsidered to be neutral territories# be"ause the
ma'ority o the inhabitants were women and "hildren. There were oases throughout the
desert# but the tribesmen ought in the desert# lea!ing the oases as $la"es o reuge.
2ith some dii"ulty# the leader o the "ara!an brought all his $eo$le together and
ga!e them his instru"tions. The grou$ was to remain there at the oasis until the "onli"t
between the tribes was o!er. Sin"e they were !isitors# they would ha!e to share li!ing
s$a"e with those who li!ed there# and would be gi!en the best a""ommodations. That
was the law o hos$itality. Then he asked that e!eryone# in"luding his own sentinels#
hand o!er their arms to the men a$$ointed by the tribal "hietains.
+Those are the rules o war#, the leader e&$lained. +The oases may not shelter armies
or troo$s.,
To the boys sur$rise# the Englishman took a "hrome*$lated re!ol!er out o his bag
and ga!e it to the men who were "olle"ting the arms.
+2hy a re!ol!er3, he asked.
+)t hel$ed me to trust in $eo$le#, the Englishman answered.
0eanwhile# the boy thought about his treasure. The "loser he got to the reali-ation o
his dream# the more dii"ult things be"ame. )t seemed as i what the old king had "alled
+beginners lu"k, were no longer un"tioning. )n his $ursuit o the dream# he was being
"onstantly sub'e"ted to tests o his $ersisten"e and "ourage. So he "ould not be hasty#
nor im$atient. ) he $ushed orward im$ulsi!ely# he would ail to see the signs and omens
let by 8od along his $ath.
8od $la"ed them along my $ath. %e had sur$rised himsel with the thought. ?ntil
then# he had "onsidered the omens to be things o this world. 4ike eating or slee$ing# or
like seeking lo!e or inding a 'ob. %e had ne!er thought o them in terms o a language
used by 8od to indi"ate what he should do.
+Dont be im$atient#, he re$eated to himsel. +)ts like the "amel dri!er said( +Eat when
its time to eat. And mo!e along when its time to mo!e along.,
That irst day# e!eryone sle$t rom e&haustion# in"luding the Englishman. The boy was
assigned a $la"e ar rom his riend# in a tent with i!e other young men o about his age.
They were $eo$le o the desert# and "lamored to hear his stories about the great "ities.
The boy told them about his lie as a she$herd# and was about to tell them o his
e&$erien"es at the "rystal sho$ when the Englishman "ame into the tent.
+)!e been looking or you all morning#, he said# as he led the boy outside. +) need you
to hel$ me ind out where the al"hemist li!es.,
=irst# they tried to ind him on their own. An al"hemist would $robably li!e in a
manner that was dierent rom that o the rest o the $eo$le at the oasis# and it was
likely that in his tent an o!en was "ontinuously burning. They sear"hed e!erywhere# and
ound that the oasis was mu"h larger than they "ould ha!e imagined6 there were
hundreds o tents.
+2e!e wasted almost the entire day#, said the Englishman# sitting down with the boy
near one o the wells.
+0aybe wed better ask someone#, the boy suggested.
The Englishman didnt want to tell others about his reasons or being at the oasis# and
"ouldnt make u$ his mind. .ut# inally# he agreed that the boy# who s$oke better Arabi"
than he# should do so. The boy a$$roa"hed a woman who had "ome to the well to ill a
goatskin with water.
+8ood aternoon# maam. )m trying to ind out where the al"hemist li!es here at the
oasis.,
The woman said she had ne!er heard o su"h a $erson# and hurried away. .ut beore
she led# she ad!ised the boy that he had better not try to "on!erse with women who
were dressed in bla"k# be"ause they were married women. %e should res$e"t tradition.
The Englishman was disa$$ointed. )t seemed he had made the long 'ourney or
nothing. The boy was also saddened6 his riend was in $ursuit o his destiny. And# when
someone was in su"h $ursuit# the entire uni!erse made an eort to hel$ him su""eed7
thats what the old king had said. %e "ouldnt ha!e been wrong.
+) had ne!er heard o al"hemists beore#, the boy said. +0aybe no one here has#
either.,
The Englishmans eyes lit u$. +Thats it9 0aybe no one here knows what an al"hemist
is9 =ind out who it is who "ures the $eo$les illnesses9,
Se!eral women dressed in bla"k "ame to the well or water# but the boy would s$eak
to none o them# des$ite the Englishmans insisten"e. Then a man a$$roa"hed.
+Do you know someone here who "ures $eo$les illnesses3, the boy asked.
+Allah "ures our illnesses#, said the man# "learly rightened o the strangers. +5oure
looking or wit"h do"tors., %e s$oke some !erses rom the Boran# and mo!ed on.
Another man a$$eared. %e was older# and was "arrying a small bu"ket. The boy
re$eated his 1uestion.
+2hy do you want to ind that sort o $erson3, the Arab asked.
+.e"ause my riend here has tra!eled or many months in order to meet with him#, the
boy said.
+) su"h a man is here at the oasis# he must be the !ery $owerul one#, said the old
man ater thinking or a ew moments. +Not e!en the tribal "hietains are able to see him
when they want to. Only when he "onsents.
+2ait or the end o the war. Then lea!e with the "ara!an. Dont try to enter into the
lie o the oasis#, he said# and walked away.
.ut the Englishman was e&ultant. They were on the right tra"k.
=inally# a young woman a$$roa"hed who was not dressed in bla"k. She had a !essel
on her shoulder# and her head was "o!ered by a !eil# but her a"e was un"o!ered. The
boy a$$roa"hed her to ask about the al"hemist.
At that moment# it seemed to him that time stood still# and the Soul o the 2orld
surged within him. 2hen he looked into her dark eyes# and saw that her li$s were $oised
between a laugh and silen"e# he learned the most im$ortant $art o the language that all
the world s$oke7the language that e!eryone on earth was "a$able o understanding in
their heart. )t was lo!e. Something older than humanity# more an"ient than the desert.
Something that e&erted the same or"e whene!er two $airs o eyes met# as had theirs
here at the well. She smiled# and that was "ertainly an omen7the omen he had been
awaiting# without e!en knowing he was# or all his lie. The omen he had sought to ind
with his shee$ and in his books# in the "rystals and in the silen"e o the desert.
)t was the $ure 4anguage o the 2orld. )t re1uired no e&$lanation# 'ust as the uni!erse
needs none as it tra!els through endless time. 2hat the boy elt at that moment was that
he was in the $resen"e o the only woman in his lie# and that# with no need or words#
she re"ogni-ed the same thing. %e was more "ertain o it than o anything in the world.
%e had been told by his $arents and grand$arents that he must all in lo!e and really
know a $erson beore be"oming "ommitted. .ut maybe $eo$le who elt that way had
ne!er learned the uni!ersal language. .e"ause# when you know that language# its easy
to understand that someone in the world awaits you# whether its in the middle o the
desert or in some great "ity. And when two su"h $eo$le en"ounter ea"h other# and their
eyes meet# the $ast and the uture be"ome unim$ortant. There is only that moment# and
the in"redible "ertainty that e!erything under the sun has been written by one hand only.
)t is the hand that e!okes lo!e# and "reates a twin soul or e!ery $erson in the world.
2ithout su"h lo!e# ones dreams would ha!e no meaning.
Maktub# thought the boy.
The Englishman shook the boy( +Come on# ask her9,
The boy ste$$ed "loser to the girl# and when she smiled# he did the same.
+2hats your name3, he asked.
+=atima#, the girl said# a!erting her eyes.
+Thats what some women in my "ountry are "alled.,
+)ts the name o the Pro$hets daughter#, =atima said. +The in!aders "arried the name
e!erywhere., The beautiul girl s$oke o the in!aders with $ride.
The Englishman $rodded him# and the boy asked her about the man who "ured
$eo$les illnesses.
+Thats the man who knows all the se"rets o the world#, she said. +%e "ommuni"ates
with the genies o the desert.,
The genies were the s$irits o good and e!il. And the girl $ointed to the south#
indi"ating that it was there the strange man li!ed. Then she illed her !essel with water
and let.
The Englishman !anished# too# gone to ind the al"hemist. And the boy sat there by
the well or a long time# remembering that one day in Taria the le!anter had brought to
him the $erume o that woman# and reali-ing that he had lo!ed her beore he e!en knew
she e&isted. %e knew that his lo!e or her would enable him to dis"o!er e!ery treasure in
the world.
The ne&t day# the boy returned to the well# ho$ing to see the girl. To his sur$rise# the
Englishman was there# looking out at the desert#
+) waited all aternoon and e!ening#, he said. +%e a$$eared with the irst stars o
e!ening. ) told him what ) was seeking# and he asked me i ) had e!er transormed lead
into gold. ) told him that was what ) had "ome here to learn.
+%e told me ) should try to do so. Thats all he said( @8o and try.,
The boy didnt say anything. The $oor Englishman had tra!eled all this way# only to be
told that he should re$eat what he had already done so many times.
+So# then try#, he said to the Englishman.
+Thats what )m going to do. )m going to start now.,
As the Englishman let# =atima arri!ed and illed her !essel with water.
+) "ame to tell you 'ust one thing#, the boy said. +) want you to be my wie. ) lo!e
you.,
The girl dro$$ed the "ontainer# and the water s$illed.
+)m going to wait here or you e!ery day. ) ha!e "rossed the desert in sear"h o a
treasure that is somewhere near the Pyramids# and or me# the war seemed a "urse. .ut
now its a blessing# be"ause it brought me to you.,
+The war is going to end someday#, the girl said.
The boy looked around him at the date $alms. %e reminded himsel that he had been
a she$herd# and that he "ould be a she$herd again. =atima was more im$ortant than his
treasure.
+The tribesmen are always in sear"h o treasure#, the girl said# as i she had guessed
what he was thinking. +And the women o the desert are $roud o their tribesmen.,
She reilled her !essel and let.
The boy went to the well e!ery day to meet with =atima. %e told her about his lie as a
she$herd# about the king# and about the "rystal sho$. They be"ame riends# and e&"e$t
or the iteen minutes he s$ent with her# ea"h day seemed that it would ne!er $ass.
2hen he had been at the oasis or almost a month# the leader o the "ara!an "alled a
meeting o all o the $eo$le tra!eling with him.
+2e dont know when the war will end# so we "ant "ontinue our 'ourney#, he said.
+The battles may last or a long time# $erha$s e!en years. There are $owerul or"es on
both sides# and the war is im$ortant to both armies. )ts not a battle o good against e!il.
)ts a war between or"es that are ighting or the balan"e o $ower# and# when that ty$e
o battle begins# it lasts longer than others7be"ause Allah is on both sides.,
The $eo$le went ba"k to where they were li!ing# and the boy went to meet with
=atima that aternoon. %e told her about the mornings meeting. +The day ater we met#,
=atima said# +you told me that you lo!ed me. Then# you taught me something o the
uni!ersal language and the Soul o the 2orld. .e"ause o that# ) ha!e be"ome a $art o
you.,
The boy listened to the sound o her !oi"e# and thought it to be more beautiul than
the sound o the wind in the date $alms.
+) ha!e been waiting or you here at this oasis or a long time. ) ha!e orgotten about
my $ast# about my traditions# and the way in whi"h men o the desert e&$e"t women to
beha!e. E!er sin"e ) was a "hild# ) ha!e dreamed that the desert would bring me a
wonderul $resent. Now# my $resent has arri!ed# and its you.,
The boy wanted to take her hand. .ut =atimas hands held to the handles o her 'ug.
+5ou ha!e told me about your dreams# about the old king and your treasure. And
you!e told me about omens. So now# ) ear nothing# be"ause it was those omens that
brought you to me. And ) am a $art o your dream# a $art o your destiny# as you "all it.
+Thats why ) want you to "ontinue toward your goal. ) you ha!e to wait until the war
is o!er# then wait. .ut i you ha!e to go beore then# go on in $ursuit o your dream. The
dunes are "hanged by the wind# but the desert ne!er "hanges. Thats the way it will be
with our lo!e or ea"h other.
+Maktub#, she said. +) ) am really a $art o your dream# youll "ome ba"k one day.,
The boy was sad as he let her that day. %e thought o all the married she$herds he
had known. They had a dii"ult time "on!in"ing their wi!es that they had to go o into
distant ields. 4o!e re1uired them to stay with the $eo$le they lo!ed.
%e told =atima that# at their ne&t meeting.
+The desert takes our men rom us# and they dont always return#, she said. +2e know
that# and we are used to it. Those who dont return be"ome a $art o the "louds# a $art o
the animals that hide in the ra!ines and o the water that "omes rom the earth. They
be"ome a $art o e!erything . . . they be"ome the Soul o the 2orld.
+Some do "ome ba"k. And then the other women are ha$$y be"ause they belie!e that
their men may one day return# as well. ) used to look at those women and en!y them
their ha$$iness. Now# ) too will be one o the women who wait.
+)m a desert woman# and )m $roud o that. ) want my husband to wander as ree as
the wind that sha$es the dunes. And# i ) ha!e to# ) will a""e$t the a"t that he has
be"ome a $art o the "louds# and the animals and the water o the desert.,
The boy went to look or the Englishman. %e wanted to tell him about =atima. %e was
sur$rised when he saw that the Englishman had built himsel a urna"e outside his tent.
)t was a strange urna"e# ueled by irewood# with a trans$arent lask heating on to$. As
the Englishman stared out at the desert# his eyes seemed brighter than they had when
he was reading his books.
+This is the irst $hase o the 'ob#, he said. +) ha!e to se$arate out the sulur. To do
that su""essully# ) must ha!e no ear o ailure. )t was my ear o ailure that irst ke$t
me rom attem$ting the 0aster 2ork. Now# )m beginning what ) "ould ha!e started ten
years ago. .ut )m ha$$y at least that ) didnt wait twenty years.,
%e "ontinued to eed the ire# and the boy stayed on until the desert turned $ink in the
setting sun. %e elt the urge to go out into the desert# to see i its silen"e held the
answers to his 1uestions.
%e wandered or a while# kee$ing the date $alms o the oasis within sight. %e listened
to the wind# and elt the stones beneath his eet. %ere and there# he ound a shell# and
reali-ed that the desert# in remote times# had been a sea. %e sat on a stone# and allowed
himsel to be"ome hy$noti-ed by the hori-on. %e tried to deal with the "on"e$t o lo!e as
distin"t rom $ossession# and "ouldnt se$arate them. .ut =atima was a woman o the
desert# and# i anything "ould hel$ him to understand# it was the desert.
As he sat there thinking# he sensed mo!ement abo!e him. 4ooking u$# he saw a $air
o hawks lying high in the sky.
%e wat"hed the hawks as they drited on the wind. Although their light a$$eared to
ha!e no $attern# it made a "ertain kind o sense to the boy. )t was 'ust that he "ouldnt
gras$ what it meant. %e ollowed the mo!ement o the birds# trying to read something
into it. 0aybe these desert birds "ould e&$lain to him the meaning o lo!e without
ownershi$.
%e elt slee$y. )n his heart# he wanted to remain awake# but he also wanted to slee$.
+) am learning the 4anguage o the 2orld# and e!erything in the world is beginning to
make sense to me . . . e!en the light o the hawks#, he said to himsel. And# in that
mood# he was grateul to be in lo!e. 2hen you are in lo!e# things make e!en more
sense# he thought.
Suddenly# one o the hawks made a lashing di!e through the sky# atta"king the other.
As it did so# a sudden# leeting image "ame to the boy( an army# with its swords at the
ready# riding into the oasis. The !ision !anished immediately# but it had shaken him. %e
had heard $eo$le s$eak o mirages# and had already seen some himsel( they were
desires that# be"ause o their intensity# materiali-ed o!er the sands o the desert. .ut he
"ertainly didnt desire that an army in!ade the oasis.
%e wanted to orget about the !ision# and return to his meditation. %e tried again to
"on"entrate on the $ink shades o the desert# and its stones. .ut there was something
there in his heart that wouldnt allow him to do so.
+Always heed the omens#, the old king had said. The boy re"alled what he had seen in
the !ision# and sensed that it was a"tually going to o""ur.
%e rose# and made his way ba"k toward the $alm trees. On"e again# he $er"ei!ed the
many languages in the things about him( this time# the desert was sae# and it was the
oasis that had be"ome dangerous.
The "amel dri!er was seated at the base o a $alm tree# obser!ing the sunset. %e saw
the boy a$$ear rom the other side o the dunes.
+An army is "oming#, the boy said. +) had a !ision.,
+The desert ills mens hearts with !isions#, the "amel dri!er answered.
.ut the boy told him about the hawks( that he had been wat"hing their light and had
suddenly elt himsel to ha!e $lunged to the Soul o the 2orld.
The "amel dri!er understood what the boy was saying. %e knew that any gi!en thing
on the a"e o the earth "ould re!eal the history o all things. One "ould o$en a book to
any $age# or look at a $ersons hand6 one "ould turn a "ard# or wat"h the light o the
birds . . . whate!er the thing obser!ed# one "ould ind a "onne"tion with his e&$erien"e o
the moment. A"tually# it wasnt that those things# in themsel!es# re!ealed anything at all6
it was 'ust that $eo$le# looking at what was o""urring around them# "ould ind a means o
$enetration to the Soul o the 2orld.
The desert was ull o men who earned their li!ing based on the ease with whi"h they
"ould $enetrate to the Soul o the 2orld. They were known as seers# and they were held
in ear by women and the elderly. Tribesmen were also wary o "onsulting them# be"ause
it would be im$ossible to be ee"ti!e in battle i one knew that he was ated to die. The
tribesmen $reerred the taste o battle# and the thrill o not knowing what the out"ome
would be6 the uture was already written by Allah# and what he had written was always
or the good o man. So the tribesmen li!ed only or the $resent# be"ause the $resent
was ull o sur$rises# and they had to be aware o many things( 2here was the enemys
sword3 2here was his horse3 2hat kind o blow should one deli!er ne&t in order to
remain ali!e3 The "amel dri!er was not a ighter# and he had "onsulted with seers. 0any
o them had been right about what they said# while some had been wrong. Then# one
day# the oldest seer he had e!er sought out :and the one most to be eared; had asked
why the "amel dri!er was so interested in the uture.
+2ell . . . so ) "an do things#, he had res$onded. +And so ) "an "hange those things
that ) dont want to ha$$en.,
+.ut then they wouldnt be a $art o your uture#, the seer had said.
+2ell# maybe ) 'ust want to know the uture so ) "an $re$are mysel or whats
"oming.,
+) good things are "oming# they will be a $leasant sur$rise#, said the seer. +) bad
things are# and you know in ad!an"e# you will suer greatly beore they e!en o""ur.,
+) want to know about the uture be"ause )m a man#, the "amel dri!er had said to the
seer. +And men always li!e their li!es based on the uture.,
The seer was a s$e"ialist in the "asting o twigs6 he threw them on the ground# and
made inter$retations based on how they ell. That day# he didnt make a "ast. %e
wra$$ed the twigs in a $ie"e o "loth and $ut them ba"k in his bag.
+) make my li!ing ore"asting the uture or $eo$le#, he said. +) know the s"ien"e o
the twigs# and ) know how to use them to $enetrate to the $la"e where all is written.
There# ) "an read the $ast# dis"o!er what has already been orgotten# and understand
the omens that are here in the $resent.
+2hen $eo$le "onsult me# its not that )m reading the uture6 ) am guessing at the
uture. The uture belongs to 8od# and it is only he who re!eals it# under e&traordinary
"ir"umstan"es. %ow do ) guess at the uture3 .ased on the omens o the $resent. The
se"ret is here in the $resent. ) you $ay attention to the $resent# you "an im$ro!e u$on
it. And# i you im$ro!e on the $resent# what "omes later will also be better. =orget about
the uture# and li!e ea"h day a""ording to the tea"hings# "onident that 8od lo!es his
"hildren. Ea"h day# in itsel# brings with it an eternity.,
The "amel dri!er had asked what the "ir"umstan"es were under whi"h 8od would
allow him to see the uture.
+Only when he# himsel# re!eals it. And 8od only rarely re!eals the uture. 2hen he
does so# it is or only one reason( its a uture that was written so as to be altered.,
8od had shown the boy a $art o the uture# the "amel dri!er thought. 2hy was it that
he wanted the boy to ser!e as his instrument3
+8o and s$eak to the tribal "hietains#, said the "amel dri!er. +Tell them about the
armies that are a$$roa"hing.,
+Theyll laugh at me.,
+They are men o the desert# and the men o the desert are used to dealing with
omens.,
+2ell# then# they $robably already know.,
+Theyre not "on"erned with that right now. They belie!e that i they ha!e to know
about something Allah wants them to know# someone will tell them about it. )t has
ha$$ened many times beore. .ut# this time# the $erson is you.,
The boy thought o =atima. And he de"ided he would go to see the "hies o the tribes.
/ / /
The boy a$$roa"hed the guard at the ront o the huge white tent at the "enter o the
oasis.
+) want to see the "hietains. )!e brought omens rom the desert.,
2ithout res$onding# the guard entered the tent# where he remained or some time.
2hen he emerged# it was with a young Arab# dressed in white and gold. The boy told the
younger man what he had seen# and the man asked him to wait there. %e disa$$eared
into the tent.
Night ell# and an assortment o ighting men and mer"hants entered and e&ited the
tent. One by one# the "am$ires were e&tinguished# and the oasis ell as 1uiet as the
desert. Only the lights in the great tent remained. During all this time# the boy thought
about =atima# and he was still unable to understand his last "on!ersation with her.
=inally# ater hours o waiting# the guard bade the boy enter. The boy was astonished
by what he saw inside. Ne!er "ould he ha!e imagined that# there in the middle o the
desert# there e&isted a tent like this one. The ground was "o!ered with the most beautiul
"ar$ets he had e!er walked u$on# and rom the to$ o the stru"ture hung lam$s o hand*
wrought gold# ea"h with a lighted "andle. The tribal "hietains were seated at the ba"k o
the tent in a semi"ir"le# resting u$on ri"hly embroidered silk "ushions. Ser!ants "ame
and went with sil!er trays laden with s$i"es and tea. Other ser!ants maintained the ires
in the hookahs. The atmos$here was suused with the sweet s"ent o smoke.
There were eight "hietains# but the boy "ould see immediately whi"h o them was the
most im$ortant( an Arab dressed in white and gold# seated at the "enter o the
semi"ir"le. At his side was the young Arab the boy had s$oken with earlier.
+2ho is this stranger who s$eaks o omens3, asked one o the "hietains# eyeing the
boy.
+)t is )#, the boy answered. And he told what he had seen.
+2hy would the desert re!eal su"h things to a stranger# when it knows that we ha!e
been here or generations3, said another o the "hietains.
+.e"ause my eyes are not yet a""ustomed to the desert#, the boy said. +) "an see
things that eyes habituated to the desert might not see.,
And also be"ause ) know about the Soul o the 2orld# he thought to himsel.
+The oasis is neutral ground. No one atta"ks an oasis#, said a third "hietain.
+) "an only tell you what ) saw. ) you dont want to belie!e me# you dont ha!e to do
anything about it.,
The men ell into an animated dis"ussion. They s$oke in an Arabi" diale"t that the boy
didnt understand# but# when he made to lea!e# the guard told him to stay. The boy
be"ame earul6 the omens told him that something was wrong. %e regretted ha!ing
s$oken to the "amel dri!er about what he had seen in the desert.
Suddenly# the elder at the "enter smiled almost im$er"e$tibly# and the boy elt better.
The man hadnt $arti"i$ated in the dis"ussion# and# in a"t# hadnt said a word u$ to that
$oint. .ut the boy was already used to the 4anguage o the 2orld# and he "ould eel the
!ibrations o $ea"e throughout the tent. Now his intuition was that he had been right in
"oming.
The dis"ussion ended. The "hietains were silent or a ew moments as they listened to
what the old man was saying. Then he turned to the boy( this time his e&$ression was
"old and distant.
+Two thousand years ago# in a distant land# a man who belie!ed in dreams was thrown
into a dungeon and then sold as a sla!e#, the old man said# now in the diale"t the boy
understood. +Our mer"hants bought that man# and brought him to Egy$t. All o us know
that whoe!er belie!es in dreams also knows how to inter$ret them.,
The elder "ontinued# +2hen the $haraoh dreamed o "ows that were thin and "ows
that were at# this man )m s$eaking o res"ued Egy$t rom amine. %is name was
<ose$h. %e# too# was a stranger in a strange land# like you# and he was $robably about
your age.,
%e $aused# and his eyes were still unriendly.
+2e always obser!e the Tradition. The Tradition sa!ed Egy$t rom amine in those
days# and made the Egy$tians the wealthiest o $eo$les. The Tradition tea"hes men how
to "ross the desert# and how their "hildren should marry. The Tradition says that an oasis
is neutral territory# be"ause both sides ha!e oases# and so both are !ulnerable.,
No one said a word as the old man "ontinued.
+.ut the Tradition also says that we should belie!e the messages o the desert.
E!erything we know was taught to us by the desert.,
The old man ga!e a signal# and e!eryone stood. The meeting was o!er. The hookahs
were e&tinguished# and the guards stood at attention. The boy made ready to lea!e# but
the old man s$oke again(
+Tomorrow# we are going to break the agreement that says that no one at the oasis
may "arry arms. Throughout the entire day we will be on the lookout or our enemies.
2hen the sun sets# the men will on"e again surrender their arms to me. =or e!ery ten
dead men among our enemies# you will re"ei!e a $ie"e o gold.
+.ut arms "annot be drawn unless they also go into battle. Arms are as "a$ri"ious as
the desert# and# i they are not used# the ne&t time they might not un"tion. ) at least
one o them hasnt been used by the end o the day tomorrow# one will be used on you.,
2hen the boy let the tent# the oasis was illuminated only by the light o the ull moon.
%e was twenty minutes rom his tent# and began to make his way there.
%e was alarmed by what had ha$$ened. %e had su""eeded in rea"hing through to the
Soul o the 2orld# and now the $ri"e or ha!ing done so might be his lie. )t was a
rightening bet. .ut he had been making risky bets e!er sin"e the day he had sold his
shee$ to $ursue his destiny. And# as the "amel dri!er had said# to die tomorrow was no
worse than dying on any other day. E!ery day was there to be li!ed or to mark ones
de$arture rom this world. E!erything de$ended on one word( +Maktub.,
2alking along in the silen"e# he had no regrets. ) he died tomorrow# it would be
be"ause 8od was not willing to "hange the uture. %e would at least ha!e died ater
ha!ing "rossed the strait# ater ha!ing worked in a "rystal sho$# and ater ha!ing known
the silen"e o the desert and =atimas eyes. %e had li!ed e!ery one o his days intensely
sin"e he had let home so long ago. ) he died tomorrow# he would already ha!e seen
more than other she$herds# and he was $roud o that.
Suddenly he heard a thundering sound# and he was thrown to the ground by a wind
su"h as he had ne!er known. The area was swirling in dust so intense that it hid the
moon rom !iew. .eore him was an enormous white horse# rearing o!er him with a
rightening s"ream.
2hen the blinding dust had settled a bit# the boy trembled at what he saw. Astride the
animal was a horseman dressed "om$letely in bla"k# with a al"on $er"hed on his let
shoulder. %e wore a turban and his entire a"e# e&"e$t or his eyes# was "o!ered with a
bla"k ker"hie. %e a$$eared to be a messenger rom the desert# but his $resen"e was
mu"h more $owerul than that o a mere messenger.
The strange horseman drew an enormous# "ur!ed sword rom a s"abbard mounted on
his saddle. The steel o its blade glittered in the light o the moon.
+2ho dares to read the meaning o the light o the hawks3, he demanded# so loudly
that his words seemed to e"ho through the ity thousand $alm trees o Al*=ayoum.
+)t is ) who dared to do so#, said the boy. %e was reminded o the image o Santiago
0atamoros# mounted on his white horse# with the inidels beneath his hoo!es. This man
looked e&a"tly the same# e&"e$t that now the roles were re!ersed.
+)t is ) who dared to do so#, he re$eated# and he lowered his head to re"ei!e a blow
rom the sword. +0any li!es will be sa!ed# be"ause ) was able to see through to the Soul
o the 2orld.,
The sword didnt all. )nstead# the stranger lowered it slowly# until the $oint tou"hed
the boys orehead. )t drew a dro$let o blood.
The horseman was "om$letely immobile# as was the boy. )t didnt e!en o""ur to the
boy to lee. )n his heart# he elt a strange sense o 'oy( he was about to die in $ursuit o
his destiny. And or =atima. The omens had been true# ater all. %ere he was# a"e*to*a"e
with his enemy# but there was no need to be "on"erned about dying7the Soul o the
2orld awaited him# and he would soon be a $art o it. And# tomorrow# his enemy would
also be a$art o that Soul.
The stranger "ontinued to hold the sword at the boys orehead. +2hy did you read the
light o the birds3,
+) read only what the birds wanted to tell me. They wanted to sa!e the oasis.
Tomorrow all o you will die# be"ause there are more men at the oasis than you ha!e.,
The sword remained where it was. +2ho are you to "hange what Allah has willed3,
+Allah "reated the armies# and he also "reated the hawks. Allah taught me the
language o the birds. E!erything has been written by the same hand#, the boy said#
remembering the "amel dri!ers words.
The stranger withdrew the sword rom the boys orehead# and the boy elt immensely
relie!ed. .ut he still "ouldnt lee.
+.e "areul with your $rognosti"ations#, said the stranger. +2hen something is written#
there is no way to "hange it.,
+All ) saw was an army#, said the boy. +) didnt see the out"ome o the battle.,
The stranger seemed satisied with the answer. .ut he ke$t the sword in his hand.
+2hat is a stranger doing in a strange land3,
+) am ollowing my destiny. )ts not something you would understand.,
The stranger $la"ed his sword in its s"abbard# and the boy rela&ed.
+) had to test your "ourage#, the stranger said. +Courage is the 1uality most essential
to understanding the 4anguage o the 2orld.,
The boy was sur$rised. The stranger was s$eaking o things that !ery ew $eo$le knew
about.
+5ou must not let u$# e!en ater ha!ing "ome so ar#, he "ontinued. +5ou must lo!e the
desert# but ne!er trust it "om$letely. .e"ause the desert tests all men( it "hallenges
e!ery ste$# and kills those who be"ome distra"ted.,
2hat he said reminded the boy o the old king.
+) the warriors "ome here# and your head is still on your shoulders at sunset# "ome
and ind me#, said the stranger.
The same hand that had brandished the sword now held a whi$. The horse reared
again# raising a "loud o dust.
+2here do you li!e3, shouted the boy# as the horseman rode away.
The hand with the whi$ $ointed to the south.
The boy had met the al"hemist.
/ / /
Ne&t morning# there were two thousand armed men s"attered throughout the $alm
trees at Al*=ayoum. .eore the sun had rea"hed its high $oint# i!e hundred tribesmen
a$$eared on the hori-on. The mounted troo$s entered the oasis rom the north6 it
a$$eared to be a $ea"eul e&$edition# but they all "arried arms hidden in their robes.
2hen they rea"hed the white tent at the "enter o Al*=ayoum# they withdrew their
s"imitars and riles. And they atta"ked an em$ty tent.
The men o the oasis surrounded the horsemen rom the desert and within hal an
hour all but one o the intruders were dead. The "hildren had been ke$t at the other side
o a gro!e o $alm trees# and saw nothing o what had ha$$ened. The women had
remained in their tents# $raying or the saekee$ing o their husbands# and saw nothing
o the battle# either. 2ere it not or the bodies there on the ground# it would ha!e
a$$eared to be a normal day at the oasis.
The only tribesman s$ared was the "ommander o the battalion. That aternoon# he
was brought beore the tribal "hietains# who asked him why he had !iolated the
Tradition. The "ommander said that his men had been star!ing and thirsty# e&hausted
rom many days o battle# and had de"ided to take the oasis so as to be able to return to
the war.
The tribal "hietain said that he elt sorry or the tribesmen# but that the Tradition was
sa"red. %e "ondemned the "ommander to death without honor. Rather than being killed
by a blade or a bullet# he was hanged rom a dead $alm tree# where his body twisted in
the desert wind.
The tribal "hietain "alled or the boy# and $resented him with ity $ie"es o gold. %e
re$eated his story about <ose$h o Egy$t# and asked the boy to be"ome the "ounselor o
the oasis.
/ / /
2hen the sun had set# and the irst stars made their a$$earan"e# the boy started to
walk to the south. %e e!entually sighted a single tent# and a grou$ o Arabs $assing by
told the boy that it was a $la"e inhabited by genies. .ut the boy sat down and waited.
Not until the moon was high did the al"hemist ride into !iew. %e "arried two dead
hawks o!er his shoulder.
+) am here#, the boy said.
+5ou shouldnt be here#, the al"hemist answered. +Or is it your destiny that brings you
here3,
+2ith the wars between the tribes# its im$ossible to "ross the desert. So ) ha!e "ome
here.,
The al"hemist dismounted rom his horse# and signaled that the boy should enter the
tent with him. )t was a tent like many at the oasis. The boy looked around or the o!ens
and other a$$aratus used in al"hemy# but saw none. There were only some books in a
$ile# a small "ooking sto!e# and the "ar$ets# "o!ered with mysterious designs.
+Sit down. 2ell ha!e something to drink and eat these hawks#, said the al"hemist.
The boy sus$e"ted that they were the same hawks he had seen on the day beore# but
he said nothing. The al"hemist lighted the ire# and soon a deli"ious aroma illed the tent.
)t was better than the s"ent o the hookahs.
+2hy did you want to see me3, the boy asked.
+.e"ause o the omens#, the al"hemist answered. +The wind told me you would be
"oming# and that you would need hel$.,
+)ts not ) the wind s$oke about. )ts the other oreigner# the Englishman. %es the one
thats looking or you.,
+%e has other things to do irst. .ut hes on the right tra"k. %e has begun to try to
understand the desert.,
+And what about me3,
+2hen a $erson really desires something# all the uni!erse "ons$ires to hel$ that
$erson to reali-e his dream#, said the al"hemist# e"hoing the words o the old king. The
boy understood. Another $erson was there to hel$ him toward his destiny.
+So you are going to instru"t me3,
+No. 5ou already know all you need to know. ) am only going to $oint you in the
dire"tion o your treasure.,
+.ut theres a tribal war#, the boy reiterated.
+) know whats ha$$ening in the desert.,
+) ha!e already ound my treasure. ) ha!e a "amel# ) ha!e my money rom the "rystal
sho$# and ) ha!e ity gold $ie"es. )n my own "ountry# ) would be a ri"h man.,
+.ut none o that is rom the Pyramids#, said the al"hemist.
+) also ha!e =atima. She is a treasure greater than anything else ) ha!e won.,
+She wasnt ound at the Pyramids# either.,
They ate in silen"e. The al"hemist o$ened a bottle and $oured a red li1uid into the
boys "u$. )t was the most deli"ious wine he had e!er tasted.
+)snt wine $rohibited here3, the boy asked
+)ts not what enters mens mouths thats e!il#, said the al"hemist. +)ts what "omes
out o their mouths that is.,
The al"hemist was a bit daunting# but# as the boy drank the wine# he rela&ed. Ater
they inished eating they sat outside the tent# under a moon so brilliant that it made the
stars $ale.
+Drink and en'oy yoursel#, said the al"hemist# noti"ing that the boy was eeling
ha$$ier. +Rest well tonight# as i you were a warrior $re$aring or "ombat. Remember
that where!er your heart is# there you will ind your treasure. 5ou!e got to ind the
treasure# so that e!erything you ha!e learned along the way "an make sense.
+Tomorrow# sell your "amel and buy a horse. Camels are traitorous( they walk
thousands o $a"es and ne!er seem to tire. Then suddenly# they kneel and die. .ut
horses tire bit by bit. 5ou always know how mu"h you "an ask o them# and when it is
that they are about to die.,
/ / /
The ollowing night# the boy a$$eared at the al"hemists tent with a horse. The
al"hemist was ready# and he mounted his own steed and $la"ed the al"on on his let
shoulder. %e said to the boy# +Show me where there is lie out in the desert. Only those
who "an see su"h signs o lie are able to ind treasure.,
They began to ride out o!er the sands# with the moon lighting their way. ) dont know
i )ll be able to ind lie in the desert# the boy thought. ) dont know the desert that well
yet.
%e wanted to say so to the al"hemist# but he was araid o the man. They rea"hed the
ro"ky $la"e where the boy had seen the hawks in the sky# but now there was only silen"e
and the wind.
+) dont know how to ind lie in the desert#, the boy said. +) know that there is lie
here# but ) dont know where to look.,
+4ie attra"ts lie#, the al"hemist answered.
And then the boy understood. %e loosened the reins on his horse# who gallo$ed
orward o!er the ro"ks and sand. The al"hemist ollowed as the boys horse ran or
almost hal an hour. They "ould no longer see the $alms o the oasis7only the giganti"
moon abo!e them# and its sil!er rele"tions rom the stones o the desert. Suddenly# or
no a$$arent reason# the boys horse began to slow.
+Theres lie here#, the boy said to the al"hemist. +) dont know the language o the
desert# but my horse knows the language o lie.,
They dismounted# and the al"hemist said nothing. Ad!an"ing slowly# they sear"hed
among the stones. The al"hemist sto$$ed abru$tly# and bent to the ground. There was a
hole there among the stones. The al"hemist $ut his hand into the hole# and then his
entire arm# u$ to his shoulder. Something was mo!ing there# and the al"hemists eyes7
the boy "ould see only his eyes*s1uinted with his eort. %is arm seemed to be battling
with whate!er was in the hole. Then# with a motion that startled the boy# he withdrew his
arm and lea$ed to his eet. )n his hand# he gras$ed a snake by the tail.
The boy lea$t as well# but away rom the al"hemist. The snake ought ranti"ally#
making hissing sounds that shattered the silen"e o the desert. )t was a "obra# whose
!enom "ould kill a $erson in minutes.
+2at"h out or his !enom#, the boy said. .ut e!en though the al"hemist had $ut his
hand in the hole# and had surely already been bitten# his e&$ression was "alm. +The
al"hemist is two hundred years old#, the Englishman had told him. %e must know how to
deal with the snakes o the desert.
The boy wat"hed as his "om$anion went to his horse and withdrew a s"imitar. 2ith its
blade# he drew a "ir"le in the sand# and then he $la"ed the snake within it. The ser$ent
rela&ed immediately.
+Not to worry#, said the al"hemist. +%e wont lea!e the "ir"le. 5ou ound lie in the
desert# the omen that ) needed.,
+2hy was that so im$ortant3,
+.e"ause the Pyramids are surrounded by the desert.,
The boy didnt want to talk about the Pyramids. %is heart was hea!y# and he had been
melan"holy sin"e the $re!ious night. To "ontinue his sear"h or the treasure meant that
he had to abandon =atima.
+)m going to guide you a"ross the desert#, the al"hemist said.
+) want to stay at the oasis#, the boy answered. +)!e ound =atima# and# as ar as )m
"on"erned# shes worth more than treasure.,
+=atima is a woman o the desert#, said the al"hemist. +She knows that men ha!e to
go away in order to return. And she already has her treasure( its you. Now she e&$e"ts
that you will ind what it is youre looking or.,
+2ell# what i ) de"ide to stay3,
+4et me tell you what will ha$$en. 5oull be the "ounselor o the oasis. 5ou ha!e
enough gold to buy many shee$ and many "amels. 5oull marry =atima# and youll both
be ha$$y or a year. 5oull learn to lo!e the desert# and youll get to know e!ery one o
the ity thousand $alms. 5oull wat"h them as they grow# demonstrating how the world is
always "hanging. And youll get better and better at understanding omens# be"ause the
desert is the best tea"her there is.
+Sometime during the se"ond year# youll remember about the treasure. The omens
will begin insistently to s$eak o it# and youll try to ignore them. 5oull use your
knowledge or the welare o the oasis and its inhabitants. The tribal "hietains will
a$$re"iate what you do. And your "amels will bring you wealth and $ower.
+During the third year# the omens will "ontinue to s$eak o your treasure and your
destiny. 5oull walk around# night ater night# at the oasis# and =atima will be unha$$y
be"ause shell eel it was she who interru$ted your 1uest. .ut you will lo!e her# and shell
return your lo!e. 5oull remember that she ne!er asked you to stay# be"ause a woman o
the desert knows that she must await her man. So you wont blame her. .ut many times
youll walk the sands o the desert# thinking that maybe you "ould ha!e let . . . that you
"ould ha!e trusted more in your lo!e or =atima. .e"ause what ke$t you at the oasis was
your own ear that you might ne!er "ome ba"k. At that $oint# the omens will tell you that
your treasure is buried ore!er.
+Then# sometime during the ourth year# the omens will abandon you# be"ause you!e
sto$$ed listening to them. The tribal "hietains will see that# and youll be dismissed rom
your $osition as "ounselor. .ut# by then# youll be a ri"h mer"hant# with many "amels and
a great deal o mer"handise. 5oull s$end the rest o your days knowing that you didnt
$ursue your destiny# and that now its too late.
+5ou must understand that lo!e ne!er kee$s a man rom $ursuing his destiny. ) he
abandons that $ursuit# its be"ause it wasnt true lo!e . . . the lo!e that s$eaks the
4anguage o the 2orld.,
The al"hemist erased the "ir"le in the sand# and the snake slithered away among the
ro"ks. The boy remembered the "rystal mer"hant who had always wanted to go to
0e""a# and the Englishman in sear"h o the al"hemist. %e thought o the woman who had
trusted in the desert. And he looked out o!er the desert that had brought him to the
woman he lo!ed.
They mounted their horses# and this time it was the boy who ollowed the al"hemist
ba"k to the oasis. The wind brought the sounds o the oasis to them# and the boy tried to
hear =atimas !oi"e.
.ut that night# as he had wat"hed the "obra within the "ir"le# the strange horseman
with the al"on on his shoulder had s$oken o lo!e and treasure# o the women o the
desert and o his destiny.
+)m going with you#, the boy said. And he immediately elt $ea"e in his heart.
+2ell lea!e tomorrow beore sunrise#, was the al"hemists only res$onse.
/ / /
The boy s$ent a slee$less night. Two hours beore dawn# he awoke one o the boys
who sle$t in his tent# and asked him to show him where =atima li!ed. They went to her
tent# and the boy ga!e his riend enough gold to buy a shee$.
Then he asked his riend to go to into the tent where =atima was slee$ing# and to
awaken her and tell her that he was waiting outside. The young Arab did as he was
asked# and was gi!en enough gold to buy yet another shee$.
+Now lea!e us alone#, said the boy to the young Arab. The Arab returned to his tent to
slee$# $roud to ha!e hel$ed the "ounselor o the oasis# and ha$$y at ha!ing enough
money to buy himsel some shee$.
=atima a$$eared at the entran"e to the tent. The two walked out among the $alms.
The boy knew that it was a !iolation o the Tradition# but that didnt matter to him now.
+)m going away#, he said. +And ) want you to know that )m "oming ba"k. ) lo!e you
be"ause . . .,
+Dont say anything#, =atima interru$ted. +One is lo!ed be"ause one is lo!ed. No
reason is needed or lo!ing.,
.ut the boy "ontinued# +) had a dream# and ) met with a king. ) sold "rystal and
"rossed the desert. And# be"ause the tribes de"lared war# ) went to the well# seeking the
al"hemist. So# ) lo!e you be"ause the entire uni!erse "ons$ired to hel$ me ind you.,
The two embra"ed. )t was the irst time either had tou"hed the other.
+)ll be ba"k#, the boy said.
+.eore this# ) always looked to the desert with longing#, said =atima. +Now it will be
with ho$e. 0y ather went away one day# but he returned to my mother# and he has
always "ome ba"k sin"e then.,
They said nothing else. They walked a bit arther among the $alms# and then the boy
let her at the entran"e to her tent.
+)ll return# 'ust as your ather "ame ba"k to your mother#, he said.
%e saw that =atimas eyes were illed with tears.
+5oure "rying3,
+)m a woman o the desert#, she said# a!erting her a"e. +.ut abo!e all# )m a
woman.,
=atima went ba"k to her tent# and# when daylight "ame# she went out to do the "hores
she had done or years. .ut e!erything had "hanged. The boy was no longer at the oasis#
and the oasis would ne!er again ha!e the same meaning it had had only yesterday. )t
would no longer be a $la"e with ity thousand $alm trees and three hundred wells# where
the $ilgrims arri!ed# relie!ed at the end o their long 'ourneys. =rom that day on# the
oasis would be an em$ty $la"e or her.
=rom that day on# it was the desert that would be im$ortant. She would look to it
e!ery day# and would try to guess whi"h star the boy was ollowing in sear"h o his
treasure. She would ha!e to send her kisses on the wind# ho$ing that the wind would
tou"h the boys a"e# and would tell him that she was ali!e. That she was waiting or him#
a woman awaiting a "ourageous man in sear"h o his treasure. =rom that day on# the
desert would re$resent only one thing to her( the ho$e or his return.
/ / /
+Dont think about what you!e let behind#, the al"hemist said to the boy as they
began to ride a"ross the sands o the desert. +E!erything is written in the Soul o the
2orld# and there it will stay ore!er.,
+0en dream more about "oming home than about lea!ing#, the boy said. %e was
already rea""ustomed to deserts silen"e.
+) what one inds is made o $ure matter# it will ne!er s$oil. And one "an always "ome
ba"k. ) what you had ound was only a moment o light# like the e&$losion o a star# you
would ind nothing on your return.,
The man was s$eaking the language o al"hemy. .ut the boy knew that he was
reerring to =atima.
)t was dii"ult not to think about what he had let behind. The desert# with its endless
monotony# $ut him to dreaming. The boy "ould still see the $alm trees# the wells# and the
a"e o the woman he lo!ed. %e "ould see the Englishman at his e&$eriments# and the
"amel dri!er who was a tea"her without reali-ing it. 0aybe the al"hemist has ne!er been
in lo!e# the boy thought.
The al"hemist rode in ront# with the al"on on his shoulder. The bird knew the
language o the desert well# and whene!er they sto$$ed# he lew o in sear"h o game.
On the irst day he returned with a rabbit# and on the se"ond with two birds.
At night# they s$read their slee$ing gear and ke$t their ires hidden. The desert nights
were "old# and were be"oming darker and darker as the $hases o the moon $assed.
They went on or a week# s$eaking only o the $re"autions they needed to ollow in order
to a!oid the battles between the tribes. The war "ontinued# and at times the wind "arried
the sweet# si"kly smell o blood. .attles had been ought nearby# and the wind reminded
the boy that there was the language o omens# always ready to show him what his eyes
had ailed to obser!e.
On the se!enth day# the al"hemist de"ided to make "am$ earlier than usual. The
al"on lew o to ind game# and the al"hemist oered his water "ontainer to the boy.
+5ou are almost at the end o your 'ourney#, said the al"hemist. +) "ongratulate you or
ha!ing $ursued your destiny.,
+And you!e told me nothing along the way#, said the boy. +) thought you were going
to tea"h me some o the things you know. A while ago# ) rode through the desert with a
man who had books on al"hemy. .ut ) wasnt able to learn anything rom them.,
+There is only one way to learn#, the al"hemist answered. +)ts through a"tion.
E!erything you need to know you ha!e learned through your 'ourney. 5ou need to learn
only one thing more.,
The boy wanted to know what that was# but the al"hemist was sear"hing the hori-on#
looking or the al"on.
+2hy are you "alled the al"hemist3,
+.e"ause thats what ) am.,
+And what went wrong when other al"hemists tried to make gold and were unable to
do so3,
+They were looking only or gold#, his "om$anion answered. +They were seeking the
treasure o their destiny# without wanting a"tually to li!e out the destiny.,
+2hat is it that ) still need to know3, the boy asked.
.ut the al"hemist "ontinued to look to the hori-on. And inally the al"on returned with
their meal. They dug a hole and lit their ire in it# so that the light o the lames would not
be seen.
+)m an al"hemist sim$ly be"ause )m an al"hemist#, he said# as he $re$ared the meal.
+) learned the s"ien"e rom my grandather# who learned rom his ather# and so on# ba"k
to the "reation o the world. )n those times# the 0aster 2ork "ould be written sim$ly on
an emerald. .ut men began to re'e"t sim$le things# and to write tra"ts# inter$retations#
and $hiloso$hi"al studies. They also began to eel that they knew a better way than
others had. 5et the Emerald Tablet is still ali!e today.,
+2hat was written on the Emerald Tablet3, the boy wanted to know.
The al"hemist began to draw in the sand# and "om$leted his drawing in less than i!e
minutes. As he drew# the boy thought o the old king# and the $la-a where they had met
that day6 it seemed as i it had taken $la"e years and years ago.
+This is what was written on the Emerald Tablet#, said the al"hemist# when he had
inished.
The boy tried to read what was written in the sand.
+)ts a "ode#, said the boy# a bit disa$$ointed. +)t looks like what ) saw in the
Englishmans books.,
+No#, the al"hemist answered. +)ts like the light o those two hawks6 it "ant be
understood by reason alone. The Emerald Tablet is a dire"t $assage to the Soul o the
2orld.
+The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a "o$y o
$aradise. The e&isten"e o this world is sim$ly a guarantee that there e&ists a world that
is $ere"t. 8od "reated the world so that# through its !isible ob'e"ts# men "ould
understand his s$iritual tea"hings and the mar!els o his wisdom. Thats what ) mean by
a"tion.,
+Should ) understand the Emerald Tablet3, the boy asked.
+Perha$s# i you were in a laboratory o al"hemy# this would be the right time to study
the best way to understand the Emerald Tablet. .ut you are in the desert. So immerse
yoursel in it. The desert will gi!e you an understanding o the world6 in a"t# anything on
the a"e o the earth will do that. 5ou dont e!en ha!e to understand the desert( all you
ha!e to do is "ontem$late a sim$le grain o sand# and you will see in it all the mar!els o
"reation.,
+%ow do ) immerse mysel in the desert3,
+4isten to your heart. )t knows all things# be"ause it "ame rom the Soul o the 2orld#
and it will one day return there.,
/ / /
They "rossed the desert or another two days in silen"e. The al"hemist had be"ome
mu"h more "autious# be"ause they were a$$roa"hing the area where the most !iolent
battles were being waged. As they mo!ed along# the boy tried to listen to his heart.
)t was not easy to do6 in earlier times# his heart had always been ready to tell its
story# but lately that wasnt true. There had been times when his heart s$ent hours
telling o its sadness# and at other times it be"ame so emotional o!er the desert sunrise
that the boy had to hide his tears. %is heart beat astest when it s$oke to the boy o
treasure# and more slowly when the boy stared entran"ed at the endless hori-ons o the
desert. .ut his heart was ne!er 1uiet# e!en when the boy and the al"hemist had allen
into silen"e.
+2hy do we ha!e to listen to our hearts3, the boy asked# when they had made "am$
that day.
+.e"ause# where!er your heart is# that is where youll ind your treasure.,
+.ut my heart is agitated#, the boy said. +)t has its dreams# it gets emotional# and its
be"ome $assionate o!er a woman o the desert. )t asks things o me# and it kee$s me
rom slee$ing many nights# when )m thinking about her.,
+2ell# thats good. 5our heart is ali!e. Bee$ listening to what it has to say.,
During the ne&t three days# the two tra!elers $assed by a number o armed
tribesmen# and saw others on the hori-on. The boys heart began to s$eak o ear. )t told
him stories it had heard rom the Soul o the 2orld# stories o men who sought to ind
their treasure and ne!er su""eeded. Sometimes it rightened the boy with the idea that
he might not ind his treasure# or that he might die there in the desert. At other times# it
told the boy that it was satisied( it had ound lo!e and ri"hes.
+0y heart is a traitor#, the boy said to the al"hemist# when they had $aused to rest the
horses. +)t doesnt want me to go on.,
+That makes sense#, the al"hemist answered. +Naturally its araid that# in $ursuing
your dream# you might lose e!erything you!e won.,
+2ell# then# why should ) listen to my heart3,
+.e"ause you will ne!er again be able to kee$ it 1uiet. E!en i you $retend not to ha!e
heard what it tells you# it will always be there inside you# re$eating to you what youre
thinking about lie and about the world.,
+5ou mean ) should listen# e!en i its treasonous3,
+Treason is a blow that "omes une&$e"tedly. ) you know your heart well# it will ne!er
be able to do that to you. .e"ause youll know its dreams and wishes# and will know how
to deal with them.
+5ou will ne!er be able to es"a$e rom your heart. So its better to listen to what it has
to say. That way# youll ne!er ha!e to ear an unanti"i$ated blow.,
The boy "ontinued to listen to his heart as they "rossed the desert. %e "ame to
understand its dodges and tri"ks# and to a""e$t it as it was. %e lost his ear# and orgot
about his need to go ba"k to the oasis# be"ause# one aternoon# his heart told him that it
was ha$$y. +E!en though ) "om$lain sometimes#, it said# +its be"ause )m the heart o a
$erson# and $eo$les hearts are that way. Peo$le are araid to $ursue their most
im$ortant dreams# be"ause they eel that they dont deser!e them# or that theyll be
unable to a"hie!e them. 2e# their hearts# be"ome earul 'ust thinking o lo!ed ones who
go away ore!er# or o moments that "ould ha!e been good but werent# or o treasures
that might ha!e been ound but were ore!er hidden in the sands. .e"ause# when these
things ha$$en# we suer terribly.,
+0y heart is araid that it will ha!e to suer#, the boy told the al"hemist one night as
they looked u$ at the moonless sky.
+Tell your heart that the ear o suering is worse than the suering itsel. And that no
heart has e!er suered when it goes in sear"h o its dreams# be"ause e!ery se"ond o
the sear"h is a se"onds en"ounter with 8od and with eternity.,
+E!ery se"ond o the sear"h is an en"ounter with 8od#, the boy told his heart. +2hen )
ha!e been truly sear"hing or my treasure# e!ery day has been luminous# be"ause )!e
known that e!ery hour was a $art o the dream that ) would ind it. 2hen ) ha!e been
truly sear"hing or my treasure# )!e dis"o!ered things along the way that ) ne!er would
ha!e seen had ) not had the "ourage to try things that seemed im$ossible or a she$herd
to a"hie!e.,
So his heart was 1uiet or an entire aternoon. That night# the boy sle$t dee$ly# and#
when he awoke# his heart began to tell him things that "ame rom the Soul o the 2orld.
)t said that all $eo$le who are ha$$y ha!e 8od within them. And that ha$$iness "ould be
ound in a grain o sand rom the desert# as the al"hemist had said. .e"ause a grain o
sand is a moment o "reation# and the uni!erse has taken millions o years to "reate it.
+E!eryone on earth has a treasure that awaits him#, his heart said. +2e# $eo$les hearts#
seldom say mu"h about those treasures# be"ause $eo$le no longer want to go in sear"h
o them. 2e s$eak o them only to "hildren. 4ater# we sim$ly let lie $ro"eed# in its own
dire"tion# toward its own ate. .ut# unortunately# !ery ew ollow the $ath laid out or
them7the $ath to their destinies# and to ha$$iness. 0ost $eo$le see the world as a
threatening $la"e# and# be"ause they do# the world turns out# indeed# to be a threatening
$la"e.
+So# we# their hearts# s$eak more and more sotly. 2e ne!er sto$ s$eaking out# but
we begin to ho$e that our words wont be heard( we dont want $eo$le to suer be"ause
they dont ollow their hearts.,
+2hy dont $eo$les hearts tell them to "ontinue to ollow their dreams3, the boy
asked the al"hemist.
+.e"ause thats what makes a heart suer most# and hearts dont like to suer.,
=rom then on# the boy understood his heart. %e asked it# $lease# ne!er to sto$
s$eaking to him. %e asked that# when he wandered ar rom his dreams# his heart $ress
him and sound the alarm. The boy swore that# e!ery time he heard the alarm# he would
heed its message.
That night# he told all o this to the al"hemist. And the al"hemist understood that the
boys heart had returned to the Soul o the 2orld.
+So what should ) do now3, the boy asked.
+Continue in the dire"tion o the Pyramids#, said the al"hemist. +And "ontinue to $ay
heed to the omens. 5our heart is still "a$able o showing you where the treasure is.,
+)s that the one thing ) still needed to know3,
+No#, the al"hemist answered. +2hat you still need to know is this( beore a dream is
reali-ed# the Soul o the 2orld tests e!erything that was learned along the way. )t does
this not be"ause it is e!il# but so that we "an# in addition to reali-ing our dreams# master
the lessons we!e learned as we!e mo!ed toward that dream. Thats the $oint at whi"h
most $eo$le gi!e u$. )ts the $oint at whi"h# as we say in the language o the desert# one
dies o thirst 'ust when the $alm trees ha!e a$$eared on the hori-on.,
+E!ery sear"h begins with beginners lu"k. And e!ery sear"h ends with the !i"tors
being se!erely tested.,
The boy remembered an old $ro!erb rom his "ountry. )t said that the darkest hour o
the night "ame 'ust beore the dawn.
/ / /
On the ollowing day# the irst "lear sign o danger a$$eared. Three armed tribesmen
a$$roa"hed# and asked what the boy and the al"hemist were doing there.
+)m hunting with my al"on#, the al"hemist answered.
+2ere going to ha!e to sear"h you to see whether youre armed#, one o the
tribesmen said.
The al"hemist dismounted slowly# and the boy did the same.
+2hy are you "arrying money3, asked the tribesman# when he had sear"hed the boys
bag.
+) need it to get to the Pyramids#, he said.
The tribesman who was sear"hing the al"hemists belongings ound a small "rystal
lask illed with a li1uid# and a yellow glass egg that was slightly larger than a "hi"kens
egg.
+2hat are these things3, he asked.
+Thats the Philoso$hers Stone and the Eli&ir o 4ie. )ts the 0aster 2ork o the
al"hemists. 2hoe!er swallows that eli&ir will ne!er be si"k again# and a ragment rom
that stone turns any metal into gold.,
The Arabs laughed at him# and the al"hemist laughed along. They thought his answer
was amusing# and they allowed the boy and the al"hemist to $ro"eed with all o their
belongings.
+Are you "ra-y3, the boy asked the al"hemist# when they had mo!ed on. +2hat did
you do that or3,
+To show you one o lies sim$le lessons#, the al"hemist answered. +2hen you $ossess
great treasures within you# and try to tell others o them# seldom are you belie!ed.,
They "ontinued a"ross the desert. 2ith e!ery day that $assed# the boys heart be"ame
more and more silent. )t no longer wanted to know about things o the $ast or uture6 it
was "ontent sim$ly to "ontem$late the desert# and to drink with the boy rom the Soul o
the 2orld. The boy and his heart had be"ome riends# and neither was "a$able now o
betraying the other.
2hen his heart s$oke to him# it was to $ro!ide a stimulus to the boy# and to gi!e him
strength# be"ause the days o silen"e there in the desert were wearisome. %is heart told
the boy what his strongest 1ualities were( his "ourage in ha!ing gi!en u$ his shee$ and
in trying to li!e out his destiny# and his enthusiasm during the time he had worked at the
"rystal sho$.
And his heart told him something else that the boy had ne!er noti"ed( it told the boy
o dangers that had threatened him# but that he had ne!er $er"ei!ed. %is heart said that
one time it had hidden the rile the boy had taken rom his ather# be"ause o the
$ossibility that the boy might wound himsel. And it reminded the boy o the day when he
had been ill and !omiting out in the ields# ater whi"h he had allen into a dee$ slee$.
There had been two thie!es arther ahead who were $lanning to steal the boys shee$
and murder him. .ut# sin"e the boy hadnt $assed by# they had de"ided to mo!e on#
thinking that he had "hanged his route.
+Does a mans heart always hel$ him3, the boy asked the al"hemist.
+0ostly 'ust the hearts o those who are trying to reali-e their destinies. .ut they do
hel$ "hildren# drunkards# and the elderly# too.,
+Does that mean that )ll ne!er run into danger3,
+)t means only that the heart does what it "an#, the al"hemist said.
One aternoon# they $assed by the en"am$ment o one o the tribes. At ea"h "orner o
the "am$ were Arabs garbed in beautiul white robes# with arms at the ready. The men
were smoking their hookahs and trading stories rom the battleield. No one $aid any
attention to the two tra!elers.
+Theres no danger#, the boy said# when they had mo!ed on $ast the en"am$ment.
The al"hemist sounded angry( +Trust in your heart# but ne!er orget that youre in the
desert. 2hen men are at war with one another# the Soul o the 2orld "an hear the
s"reams o battle. No one ails to suer the "onse1uen"es o e!erything under the sun.,
All things are one# the boy thought. And then# as i the desert wanted to demonstrate
that the al"hemist was right# two horsemen a$$eared rom behind the tra!elers.
+5ou "ant go any arther#, one o them said. +5oure in the area where the tribes are at
war.,
+)m not going !ery ar#, the al"hemist answered# looking straight into the eyes o the
horsemen. They were silent or a moment# and then agreed that the boy and the
al"hemist "ould mo!e along.
The boy wat"hed the e&"hange with as"ination. +5ou dominated those horsemen with
the way you looked at them#, he said.
+5our eyes show the strength o your soul#, answered the al"hemist.
Thats true# the boy thought. %e had noti"ed that# in the midst o the multitude o
armed men ba"k at the en"am$ment# there had been one who stared i&edly at the two.
%e had been so ar away that his a"e wasnt e!en !isible. .ut the boy was "ertain that
he had been looking at them.
=inally# when they had "rossed the mountain range that e&tended along the entire
hori-on# the al"hemist said that they were only two days rom the Pyramids.
+) were going to go our se$arate ways soon#, the boy said# +then tea"h me about
al"hemy.,
+5ou already know about al"hemy. )t is about $enetrating to the Soul o the 2orld# and
dis"o!ering the treasure that has been reser!ed or you.,
+No# thats not what ) mean. )m talking about transorming lead into gold.,
The al"hemist ell as silent as the desert# and answered the boy only ater they had
sto$$ed to eat.
+E!erything in the uni!erse e!ol!ed#, he said. +And# or wise men# gold is the metal
that e!ol!ed the urthest. Dont ask me why6 ) dont know why. ) 'ust know that the
Tradition is always right.
+0en ha!e ne!er understood the words o the wise. So gold# instead o being seen as
a symbol o e!olution# be"ame the basis or "onli"t.,
+There are many languages s$oken by things#, the boy said. +There was a time when#
or me# a "amels whinnying was nothing more than whinnying. Then it be"ame a signal
o danger. And# inally# it be"ame 'ust a whinny again.,
.ut then he sto$$ed. The al"hemist $robably already knew all that.
+) ha!e known true al"hemists#, the al"hemist "ontinued. +They lo"ked themsel!es in
their laboratories# and tried to e!ol!e# as gold had. And they ound the Philoso$hers
Stone# be"ause they understood that when something e!ol!es# e!erything around that
thing e!ol!es as well.
+Others stumbled u$on the stone by a""ident. They already had the git# and their
souls were readier or su"h things than the souls o others. .ut they dont "ount. Theyre
1uite rare.
+And then there were the others# who were interested only in gold. They ne!er ound
the se"ret. They orgot that lead# "o$$er# and iron ha!e their own destinies to ulill. And
anyone who intereres with the destiny o another thing ne!er will dis"o!er his own.,
The al"hemists words e"hoed out like a "urse. %e rea"hed o!er and $i"ked u$ a shell
rom the ground.
+This desert was on"e a sea#, he said.
+) noti"ed that#, the boy answered.
The al"hemist told the boy to $la"e the shell o!er his ear. %e had done that many
times when he was a "hild# and had heard the sound o the sea.
+The sea has li!ed on in this shell# be"ause thats its destiny. And it will ne!er "ease
doing so until the desert is on"e again "o!ered by water.,
They mounted their horses# and rode out in the dire"tion o the Pyramids o Egy$t.
/ / /
The sun was setting when the boys heart sounded a danger signal. They were
surrounded by giganti" dunes# and the boy looked at the al"hemist to see whether he
had sensed anything. .ut he a$$eared to be unaware o any danger. =i!e minutes later#
the boy saw two horsemen waiting ahead o them. .eore he "ould say anything to the
al"hemist# the two horsemen had be"ome ten# and then a hundred. And then they were
e!erywhere in the dunes.
They were tribesmen dressed in blue# with bla"k rings surrounding their turbans. Their
a"es were hidden behind blue !eils# with only their eyes showing.
E!en rom a distan"e# their eyes "on!eyed the strength o their souls. And their eyes
s$oke o death.
/ / /
The two were taken to a nearby military "am$. A soldier sho!ed the boy and the
al"hemist into a tent where the "hie was holding a meeting with his sta.
+These are the s$ies#, said one o the men.
+2ere 'ust tra!elers#, the al"hemist answered.
+5ou were seen at the enemy "am$ three days ago. And you were talking with one o
the troo$s there.,
+)m 'ust a man who wanders the desert and knows the stars#, said the al"hemist. +)
ha!e no inormation about troo$s or about the mo!ement o the tribes. ) was sim$ly
a"ting as a guide or my riend here.,
+2ho is your riend3, the "hie asked.
+An al"hemist#, said the al"hemist. +%e understands the or"es o nature. And he
wants to show you his e&traordinary $owers.,
The boy listened 1uietly. And earully.
+2hat is a oreigner doing here3, asked another o the men.
+%e has brought money to gi!e to your tribe#, said the al"hemist# beore the boy "ould
say a word. And sei-ing the boys bag# the al"hemist ga!e the gold "oins to the "hie.
The Arab a""e$ted them without a word. There was enough there to buy a lot o
wea$ons.
+2hat is an al"hemist3, he asked# inally.
+)ts a man who understands nature and the world. ) he wanted to# he "ould destroy
this "am$ 'ust with the or"e o the wind.,
The men laughed. They were used to the ra!ages o war# and knew that the wind
"ould not deli!er them a atal blow. 5et ea"h elt his heart beat a bit aster. They were
men o the desert# and they were earul o sor"erers.
+) want to see him do it#, said the "hie.
+%e needs three days#, answered the al"hemist. +%e is going to transorm himsel into
the wind# 'ust to demonstrate his $owers. ) he "ant do so# we humbly oer you our
li!es# or the honor o your tribe.,
+5ou "ant oer me something that is already mine#, the "hie said# arrogantly. .ut he
granted the tra!elers three days.
The boy was shaking with ear# but the al"hemist hel$ed him out o the tent.
+Dont let them see that youre araid#, the al"hemist said. +They are bra!e men# and
they des$ise "owards.,
.ut the boy "ouldnt e!en s$eak. %e was able to do so only ater they had walked
through the "enter o the "am$. There was no need to im$rison them( the Arabs sim$ly
"onis"ated their horses. So# on"e again# the world had demonstrated its many
languages( the desert only moments ago had been endless and ree# and now it was an
im$enetrable wall.
+5ou ga!e them e!erything ) had9, the boy said. +E!erything )!e sa!ed in my entire
lie9,
+2ell# what good would it be to you i you had tC die3, the al"hemist answered. +5our
money sa!ed us or three days. )ts not oten that money sa!es a $ersons lie.,
.ut the boy was too rightened to listen to words o wisdom. %e had no idea how he
was going to transorm himsel into the wind. %e wasnt an al"hemist9
The al"hemist asked one o the soldiers or some tea# and $oured some on the boys
wrists. A wa!e o relie washed o!er him# and the al"hemist muttered some words that
the boy didnt understand.
+Dont gi!e in to your ears#, said the al"hemist# in a strangely gentle !oi"e. +) you do#
you wont be able to talk to your heart.,
+.ut ) ha!e no idea how to turn mysel into the wind.,
+) a $erson is li!ing out his destiny# he knows e!erything he needs to know. There is
only one thing that makes a dream im$ossible to a"hie!e( the ear o ailure.,
+)m not araid o ailing. )ts 'ust that ) dont know how to turn mysel into the wind.,
+2ell# youll ha!e to learn6 your lie de$ends on it.,
+.ut what i ) "ant3,
+Then youll die in the midst o trying to reali-e your destiny. Thats a lot better than
dying like millions o other $eo$le# who ne!er e!en knew what their destinies were.
+.ut dont worry#, the al"hemist "ontinued. +?sually the threat o death makes $eo$le
a lot more aware o their li!es.,
/ / /
The irst day $assed. There was a ma'or battle nearby# and a number o wounded
were brought ba"k to the "am$. The dead soldiers were re$la"ed by others# and lie went
on. Death doesnt "hange anything# the boy thought.
+5ou "ould ha!e died later on#, a soldier said to the body o one o his "om$anions.
+5ou "ould ha!e died ater $ea"e had been de"lared. .ut# in any "ase# you were going to
die.,
At the end o the day# the boy went looking or the al"hemist# who had taken his
al"on out into the desert.
+) still ha!e no idea how to turn mysel into the wind#, the boy re$eated.
+Remember what ) told you( the world is only the !isible as$e"t o 8od. And that what
al"hemy does is to bring s$iritual $ere"tion into "onta"t with the material $lane.,
+2hat are you doing3,
+=eeding my al"on.,
+) )m not able to turn mysel into the wind# were going to die#, the boy said. +2hy
eed your al"on3,
+5oure the one who may die#, the al"hemist said. +) already know how to turn mysel
into the wind.,
/ / /
On the se"ond day# the boy "limbed to the to$ o a "li near the "am$. The sentinels
allowed him to go6 they had already heard about the sor"erer who "ould turn himsel into
the wind# and they didnt want to go near him. )n any "ase# the desert was im$assable.
%e s$ent the entire aternoon o the se"ond day looking out o!er the desert# and
listening to his heart. The boy knew the desert sensed his ear. They both s$oke the
same language.
/ / /
On the third day# the "hie met with his oi"ers. %e "alled the al"hemist to the
meeting and said# +4ets go see the boy who turns himsel into the wind.,
+4ets#, the al"hemist answered.
The boy took them to the "li where he had been on the $re!ious day. %e told them
all to be seated.
+)ts going to take a while#, the boy said.
+2ere in no hurry#, the "hie answered. +2e are men o the desert.,
The boy looked out at the hori-on. There were mountains in the distan"e. And there
were dunes# ro"ks# and $lants that insisted on li!ing where sur!i!al seemed im$ossible.
There was the desert that he had wandered or so many months6 des$ite all that time# he
knew only a small $art o it. 2ithin that small $art# he had ound an Englishman#
"ara!ans# tribal wars# and an oasis with ity thousand $alm trees and three hundred
wells.
+2hat do you want here today3, the desert asked him. +Didnt you s$end enough time
looking at me yesterday3,
+Somewhere you are holding the $erson ) lo!e#, the boy said. +So# when ) look out
o!er your sands# ) am also looking at her. ) want to return to her# and ) need your hel$ so
that ) "an turn mysel into the wind.,
+2hat is lo!e3, the desert asked.
+4o!e is the al"ons light o!er your sands. .e"ause or him# you are a green ield#
rom whi"h he always returns with game. %e knows your ro"ks# your dunes# and your
mountains# and you are generous to him.,
+The al"ons beak "arries bits o me# mysel#, the desert said. +=or years# ) "are or his
game# eeding it with the little water that ) ha!e# and then ) show him where the game
is. And# one day# as ) en'oy the a"t that his game thri!es on my sura"e# the al"on di!es
out o the sky# and takes away what )!e "reated.,
+.ut thats why you "reated the game in the irst $la"e#, the boy answered. +To
nourish the al"on. And the al"on then nourishes man. And# e!entually# man will nourish
your sands# where the game will on"e again lourish. Thats how the world goes.,
+So is that what lo!e is3,
+5es# thats what lo!e is. )ts what makes the game be"ome the al"on# the al"on
be"ome man# and man# in his turn# the desert. )ts what turns lead into gold# and makes
the gold return to the earth.,
+) dont understand what youre talking about#, the desert said.
+.ut you "an at least understand that somewhere in your sands there is a woman
waiting or me. And thats why ) ha!e to turn mysel into the wind.,
The desert didnt answer him or a ew moments.
Then it told him# +)ll gi!e you my sands to hel$ the wind to blow# but# alone# ) "ant do
anything. 5ou ha!e to ask or hel$ rom the wind.,
A bree-e began to blow. The tribesmen wat"hed the boy rom a distan"e# talking
among themsel!es in a language that the boy "ouldnt understand.
The al"hemist smiled.
The wind a$$roa"hed the boy and tou"hed his a"e. )t knew o the boys talk with the
desert# be"ause the winds know e!erything. They blow a"ross the world without a
birth$la"e# and with no $la"e to die.
+%el$ me#, the boy said. +One day you "arried the !oi"e o my lo!ed one to me.,
+2ho taught you to s$eak the language o the desert and the wind3,
+0y heart#, the boy answered.
The wind has many names. )n that $art o the world# it was "alled the siro""o# be"ause
it brought moisture rom the o"eans to the east. )n the distant land the boy "ame rom#
they "alled it the le!anter# be"ause they belie!ed that it brought with it the sands o the
desert# and the s"reams o the 0oorish wars. Perha$s# in the $la"es beyond the $astures
where his shee$ li!ed# men thought that the wind "ame rom Andalusia. .ut# a"tually# the
wind "ame rom no $la"e at all# nor did it go to any $la"e6 thats why it was stronger than
the desert. Someone might one day $lant trees in the desert# and e!en raise shee$
there# but ne!er would they harness the wind.
+5ou "ant be the wind#, the wind said. +2ere two !ery dierent things.,
+Thats not true#, the boy said. +) learned the al"hemists se"rets in my tra!els. ) ha!e
inside me the winds# the deserts# the o"eans# the stars# and e!erything "reated in the
uni!erse. 2e were all made by the same hand# and we ha!e the same soul. ) want to be
like you# able to rea"h e!ery "orner o the world# "ross the seas# blow away the sands
that "o!er my treasure# and "arry the !oi"e o the woman ) lo!e.,
+) heard what you were talking about the other day with the al"hemist#, the wind said.
+%e said that e!erything has its own destiny. .ut $eo$le "ant turn themsel!es into the
wind.,
+<ust tea"h me to be the wind or a ew moments#, the boy said. +So you and ) "an
talk about the limitless $ossibilities o $eo$le and the winds.,
The winds "uriosity was aroused# something that had ne!er ha$$ened beore. )t
wanted to talk about those things# but it didnt know how to turn a man into the wind.
And look how many things the wind already knew how to do9 )t "reated deserts# sank
shi$s# elled entire orests# and blew through "ities illed with musi" and strange noises. )t
elt that it had no limits# yet here was a boy saying that there were other things the wind
should be able to do.
+This is what we "all lo!e#, the boy said# seeing that the wind was "lose to granting
what he re1uested. +2hen you are lo!ed# you "an do anything in "reation. 2hen you are
lo!ed# theres no need at all to understand whats ha$$ening# be"ause e!erything
ha$$ens within you# and e!en men "an turn themsel!es into the wind. As long as the
wind hel$s# o "ourse.,
The wind was a $roud being# and it was be"oming irritated with what the boy was
saying. )t "ommen"ed to blow harder# raising the desert sands. .ut inally it had to
re"ogni-e that# e!en making its way around the world# it didnt know how to turn a man
into the wind. And it knew nothing about lo!e.
+)n my tra!els around the world# )!e oten seen $eo$le s$eaking o lo!e and looking
toward the hea!ens#, the wind said# urious at ha!ing to a"knowledge its own limitations.
+0aybe its better to ask hea!en.,
+2ell then# hel$ me do that#, the boy said. +=ill this $la"e with a sandstorm so strong
that it blots out the sun. Then ) "an look to hea!en without blinding mysel.,
So the wind blew with all its strength# and the sky was illed with sand. The sun was
turned into a golden disk.
At the "am$# it was dii"ult to see anything. The men o the desert were already
amiliar with that wind. They "alled it the simum# and it was worse than a storm at sea.
Their horses "ried out# and all their wea$ons were illed with sand.
On the heights# one o the "ommanders turned to the "hie and said# +0aybe we had
better end this9,
They "ould barely see the boy. Their a"es were "o!ered with the blue "loths# and their
eyes showed ear.
+4ets sto$ this#, another "ommander said.
+) want to see the greatness o Allah#, the "hie said# with res$e"t. +) want to see how
a man turns himsel into the wind.,
.ut he made a mental note o the names o the two men who had e&$ressed their
ear. As soon as the wind sto$$ed# he was going to remo!e them rom their "ommands#
be"ause true men o the desert are not araid.
+The wind told me that you know about lo!e +the boy said to the sun. +) you know
about lo!e# you must also know about the Soul o the 2orld# be"ause its made o lo!e.,
+=rom where ) am#, the sun said# +) "an see the Soul o the 2orld. )t "ommuni"ates
with my soul# and together we "ause the $lants to grow and the shee$ to seek out shade.
=rom where ) am7and )m a long way rom the earth7) learned how to lo!e. ) know that
i ) "ame e!en a little bit "loser to the earth# e!erything there would die# and the Soul o
the 2orld would no longer e&ist. So we "ontem$late ea"h other# and we want ea"h other#
and ) gi!e it lie and warmth# and it gi!es me my reason or li!ing.,
+So you know about lo!e#, the boy said.
+And ) know the Soul o the 2orld# be"ause we ha!e talked at great length to ea"h
other during this endless tri$ through the uni!erse. )t tells me that its greatest $roblem is
that# u$ until now# only the minerals and !egetables understand that all things are one.
That theres no need or iron to be the same as "o$$er# or "o$$er the same as gold. Ea"h
$erorms its own e&a"t un"tion as a uni1ue being# and e!erything would be a sym$hony
o $ea"e i the hand that wrote all this had sto$$ed on the ith day o "reation.
+.ut there was a si&th day#, the sun went on.
+5ou are wise# be"ause you obser!e e!erything rom a distan"e#, the boy said. +.ut
you dont know about lo!e. ) there hadnt been a si&th day# man would not e&ist6 "o$$er
would always be 'ust "o$$er# and lead 'ust lead. )ts true that e!erything has its destiny#
but one day that destiny will be reali-ed. So ea"h thing has to transorm itsel into
something better# and to a"1uire a new destiny# until# someday# the Soul o the 2orld
be"omes one thing only.,
The sun thought about that# and de"ided to shine more brightly. The wind# whi"h was
en'oying the "on!ersation# started to blow with greater or"e# so that the sun would not
blind the boy.
+This is why al"hemy e&ists#, the boy said. +So that e!eryone will sear"h or his
treasure# ind it# and then want to be better than he was in his ormer lie. 4ead will $lay
its role until the world has no urther need or lead6 and then lead will ha!e to turn itsel
into gold.
+Thats what al"hemists do. They show that# when we stri!e to be"ome better than we
are# e!erything around us be"omes better# too.,
+2ell# why did you say that ) dont know about lo!e3, the sun asked the boy.
+.e"ause its not lo!e to be stati" like the desert# nor is it lo!e to roam the world like
the wind. And its not lo!e to see e!erything rom a distan"e# like you do. 4o!e is the
or"e that transorms and im$ro!es the Soul o the 2orld. 2hen ) irst rea"hed through
to it# ) thought the Soul o the 2orld was $ere"t. .ut later# ) "ould see that it was like
other as$e"ts o "reation# and had its own $assions and wars. )t is we who nourish the
Soul o the 2orld# and the world we li!e in will be either better or worse# de$ending on
whether we be"ome better or worse. And thats where the $ower o lo!e "omes in.
.e"ause when we lo!e# we always stri!e to be"ome better than we are.,
+So what do you want o me3, the sun asked.
+) want you to hel$ me turn mysel into the wind#, the boy answered.
+Nature knows me as the wisest being in "reation#, the sun said. +.ut ) dont know
how to turn you into the wind.,
+Then# whom should ) ask3,
The sun thought or a minute. The wind was listening "losely# and wanted to tell e!ery
"orner o the world that the suns wisdom had its limitations. That it was unable to deal
with this boy who s$oke the 4anguage o the 2orld.
+S$eak to the hand that wrote all#, said the sun.
The wind s"reamed with delight# and blew harder than e!er. The tents were being
blown rom their ties to the earth# and the animals were being reed rom their tethers.
On the "li# the men "lut"hed at ea"h other as they sought to kee$ rom being blown
away.
The boy turned to the hand that wrote all. As he did so# he sensed that the uni!erse
had allen silent# and he de"ided not to s$eak.
A "urrent o lo!e rushed rom his heart# and the boy began to $ray. )t was a $rayer
that he had ne!er said beore# be"ause it was a $rayer without words or $leas. %is $rayer
didnt gi!e thanks or his shee$ ha!ing ound new $astures6 it didnt ask that the boy be
able to sell more "rystal6 and it didnt besee"h that the woman he had met "ontinue to
await his return. )n the silen"e# the boy understood that the desert# the wind# and the
sun were also trying to understand the signs written by the hand# and were seeking to
ollow their $aths# and to understand what had been written on a single emerald. %e saw
that omens were s"attered throughout the earth and in s$a"e# and that there was no
reason or signii"an"e atta"hed to their a$$earan"e6 he "ould see that not the deserts#
nor the winds# nor the sun# nor $eo$le knew why they had been "reated. .ut that the
hand had a reason or all o this# and that only the hand "ould $erorm mira"les# or
transorm the sea into a desert . . . or a man into the wind. .e"ause only the hand
understood that it was a larger design that had mo!ed the uni!erse to the $oint at whi"h
si& days o "reation had e!ol!ed into a 0aster 2ork.
The boy rea"hed through to the Soul o the 2orld# and saw that it was a $art o the
Soul o 8od. And he saw that the Soul o 8od was his own soul. And that he# a boy# "ould
$erorm mira"les.
/ / /
The simum blew that day as it had ne!er blown beore. =or generations thereater# the
Arabs re"ounted the legend o a boy who had turned himsel into the wind# almost
destroying a military "am$# in deian"e o the most $owerul "hie in the desert.
2hen the simum "eased to blow# e!eryone looked to the $la"e where the boy had
been. .ut he was no longer there6 he was standing ne&t to a sand*"o!ered sentinel# on
the ar side o the "am$.
The men were terriied at his sor"ery. .ut there were two $eo$le who were smiling(
the al"hemist# be"ause he had ound his $ere"t dis"i$le# and the "hie# be"ause that
dis"i$le had understood the glory o 8od.
The ollowing day# the general bade the boy and the al"hemist arewell# and $ro!ided
them with an es"ort $arty to a""om$any them as ar as they "hose.
/ / /
They rode or the entire day. Toward the end o the aternoon# they "ame u$on a
Co$ti" monastery. The al"hemist dismounted# and told the es"orts they "ould return to
the "am$.
+=rom here on# you will be alone#, the al"hemist said. +5ou are only three hours rom
the Pyramids.,
+Thank you#, said the boy. +5ou taught me the 4anguage o the 2orld.,
+) only in!oked what you already knew.,
The al"hemist kno"ked on the gate o the monastery. A monk dressed in bla"k "ame to
the gates. They s$oke or a ew minutes in the Co$ti" tongue# and the al"hemist bade the
boy enter.
+) asked him to let me use the kit"hen or a while#, the al"hemist smiled.
They went to the kit"hen at the ba"k o the monastery. The al"hemist lighted the ire#
and the monk brought him some lead# whi"h the al"hemist $la"ed in an iron $an. 2hen
the lead had be"ome li1uid# the al"hemist took rom his $ou"h the strange yellow egg. %e
s"ra$ed rom it a sli!er as thin as a hair# wra$$ed it in wa&# and added it to the $an in
whi"h the lead had melted.
The mi&ture took on a reddish "olor# almost the "olor o blood. The al"hemist remo!ed
the $an rom the ire# and set it aside to "ool. As he did so# he talked with the monk
about the tribal wars.
+) think theyre going to last or a long time#, he said to the monk.
The monk was irritated. The "ara!ans had been sto$$ed at 8i-a or some time# waiting
or the wars to end. +.ut 8ods will be done#, the monk said.
+E&a"tly#, answered the al"hemist.
2hen the $an had "ooled# the monk and the boy looked at it# da--led. The lead had
dried into the sha$e o the $an# but it was no longer lead. )t was gold.
+2ill ) learn to do that someday3, the boy asked.
+This was my destiny# not yours#, the al"hemist answered. +.ut ) wanted to show you
that it was $ossible.,
They returned to the gates o the monastery. There# the al"hemist se$arated the disk
into our $arts.
+This is or you#, he said# holding one o the $arts out to the monk. +)ts or your
generosity to the $ilgrims.,
+.ut this $ayment goes well beyond my generosity#, the monk res$onded.
+Dont say that again. 4ie might be listening# and gi!e you less the ne&t time.,
The al"hemist turned to the boy. +This is or you. To make u$ or what you ga!e to the
general.,
The boy was about to say that it was mu"h more than he had gi!en the general. .ut
he ke$t 1uiet# be"ause he had heard what the al"hemist said to the monk.
+And this is or me#, said the al"hemist# kee$ing one o the $arts. +.e"ause ) ha!e to
return to the desert# where there are tribal wars.,
%e took the ourth $art and handed it to the monk.
+This is or the boy. ) he e!er needs it.,
+.ut )m going in sear"h o my treasure#, the boy said. +)m !ery "lose to it now.,
+And )m "ertain youll ind it#, the al"hemist said.
+Then why this3,
+.e"ause you ha!e already lost your sa!ings twi"e. On"e to the thie# and on"e to the
general. )m an old# su$erstitious Arab# and ) belie!e in our $ro!erbs. Theres one that
says# @E!erything that ha$$ens on"e "an ne!er ha$$en again. .ut e!erything that
ha$$ens twi"e will surely ha$$en a third time.,
They mounted their horses.
/ / /
+) want to tell you a story about dreams#, said the al"hemist.
The boy brought his horse "loser.
+)n an"ient Rome# at the time o Em$eror Tiberius# there li!ed a good man who had
two sons. One was in the military# and had been sent to the most distant regions o the
em$ire. The other son was a $oet# and delighted all o Rome with his beautiul !erses.
+One night# the ather had a dream. An angel a$$eared to him# and told him that the
words o one o his sons would be learned and re$eated throughout the world or all
generations to "ome. The ather woke rom his dream grateul and "rying# be"ause lie
was generous# and had re!ealed to him something any ather would be $roud to know.
+Shortly thereater# the ather died as he tried to sa!e a "hild who was about to be
"rushed by the wheels o a "hariot. Sin"e he had li!ed his entire lie in a manner that was
"orre"t and air# he went dire"tly to hea!en# where he met the angel that had a$$eared in
his dream.
+5ou were always a good man#, the angel said to him. +5ou li!ed your lie in a lo!ing
way# and died with dignity. ) "an now grant you any wish you desire.,
+4ie was good to me#, the man said. +2hen you a$$eared in my dream# ) elt that all
my eorts had been rewarded# be"ause my sons $oems will be read by men or
generations to "ome. ) dont want anything or mysel. .ut any ather would be $roud o
the ame a"hie!ed by one whom he had "ared or as a "hild# and edu"ated as he grew
u$. Sometime in the distant uture# ) would like to see my sons words.,
+The angel tou"hed the mans shoulder# and they were both $ro'e"ted ar into the
uture. They were in an immense setting# surrounded by thousands o $eo$le s$eaking a
strange language.
+The man we$t with ha$$iness.
+) knew that my sons $oems were immortal#, he said to the angel through his tears.
+Can you $lease tell me whi"h o my sons $oems these $eo$le are re$eating3,
+The angel "ame "loser to the man# and# with tenderness# led him to a ben"h nearby#
where they sat down.
+The !erses o your son who was the $oet were !ery $o$ular in Rome#, the angel said.
+E!eryone lo!ed them and en'oyed them. .ut when the reign o Tiberius ended# his
$oems were orgotten. The words youre hearing now are those o your son in the
military.,
+The man looked at the angel in sur$rise.
+5our son went to ser!e at a distant $la"e# and be"ame a "enturion. %e was 'ust and
good. One aternoon# one o his ser!ants ell ill# and it a$$eared that he would die. 5our
son had heard o a rabbi who was able to "ure illnesses# and he rode out or days and
days in sear"h o this man. Along the way# he learned that the man he was seeking was
the Son o 8od. %e met others who had been "ured by him# and they instru"ted your son
in the mans tea"hings. And so# des$ite the a"t that he was a Roman "enturion# he
"on!erted to their aith. Shortly thereater# he rea"hed the $la"e where the man he was
looking or was !isiting.,
+%e told the man that one o his ser!ants was gra!ely ill# and the rabbi made ready to
go to his house with him. .ut the "enturion was a man o aith# and# looking into the eyes
o the rabbi# he knew that he was surely in the $resen"e o the Son o 8od.,
+And this is what your son said#, the angel told the man. +These are the words he said
to the rabbi at that $oint# and they ha!e ne!er been orgotten( +0y 4ord# ) am not
worthy that you should "ome under my roo. .ut only s$eak a word and my ser!ant will
be healed.,
The al"hemist said# +No matter what he does# e!ery $erson on earth $lays a "entral
role in the history o the world. And normally he doesnt know it.,
The boy smiled. %e had ne!er imagined that 1uestions about lie would be o su"h
im$ortan"e to a she$herd.
+8ood*bye#, the al"hemist said.
+8ood*bye#, said the boy.
/ / /
The boy rode along through the desert or se!eral hours# listening a!idly to what his
heart had to say. )t was his heart that would tell him where his treasure was hidden.
+2here your treasure is# there also will be your heart#, the al"hemist had told him.
.ut his heart was s$eaking o other things. 2ith $ride# it told the story o a she$herd
who had let his lo"k to ollow a dream he had on two dierent o""asions. )t told o
destiny# and o the many men who had wandered in sear"h o distant lands or beautiul
women# "onronting the $eo$le o their times with their $re"on"ei!ed notions. )t s$oke o
'ourneys# dis"o!eries# books# and "hange.
As he was about to "limb yet another dune# his heart whis$ered# +.e aware o the
$la"e where you are brought to tears. Thats where ) am# and thats where your treasure
is.,
The boy "limbed the dune slowly. A ull moon rose again in the starry sky( it had been
a month sin"e he had set orth rom the oasis. The moonlight "ast shadows through the
dunes# "reating the a$$earan"e o a rolling sea6 it reminded the boy o the day when that
horse had reared in the desert# and he had "ome to know the al"hemist. And the moon
ell on the deserts silen"e# and on a mans 'ourney in sear"h o treasure.
2hen he rea"hed the to$ o the dune# his heart lea$t. There# illuminated by the light
o the moon and the brightness o the desert# stood the solemn and ma'esti" Pyramids o
Egy$t.
The boy ell to his knees and we$t. %e thanked 8od or making him belie!e in his
destiny# and or leading him to meet a king# a mer"hant# an Englishman# and an
al"hemist. And abo!e all or his ha!ing met a woman o the desert who had told him that
lo!e would ne!er kee$ a man rom his destiny.
) he wanted to# he "ould now return to the oasis# go ba"k to =atima# and li!e his lie
as a sim$le she$herd. Ater all# the al"hemist "ontinued to li!e in the desert# e!en though
he understood the 4anguage o the 2orld# and knew how to transorm lead into gold. %e
didnt need to demonstrate his s"ien"e and art to anyone. The boy told himsel that# on
the way toward reali-ing his own destiny# he had learned all he needed to know# and had
e&$erien"ed e!erything he might ha!e dreamed o.
.ut here he was# at the $oint o inding his treasure# and he reminded himsel that no
$ro'e"t is "om$leted until its ob'e"ti!e has been a"hie!ed. The boy looked at the sands
around him# and saw that# where his tears had allen# a s"arab beetle was s"uttling
through the sand. During his time in the desert# he had learned that# in Egy$t# the s"arab
beetles are a symbol o 8od.
Another omen9 The boy began to dig into the dune. As he did so# he thought o what
the "rystal mer"hant had on"e said( that anyone "ould build a $yramid in his ba"kyard.
The boy "ould see now that he "ouldnt do so i he $la"ed stone u$on stone or the rest o
his lie.
Throughout the night# the boy dug at the $la"e he had "hosen# but ound nothing. %e
elt weighted down by the "enturies o time sin"e the Pyramids had been built. .ut he
didnt sto$. %e struggled to "ontinue digging as he ought the wind# whi"h oten blew the
sand ba"k into the e&"a!ation. %is hands were abraded and e&hausted# but he listened to
his heart. )t had told him to dig where his tears ell.
As he was attem$ting to $ull out the ro"ks he en"ountered# he heard ootste$s.
Se!eral igures a$$roa"hed him. Their ba"ks were to the moonlight# and the boy "ould
see neither their eyes nor their a"es.
+2hat are you doing here3, one o the igures demanded.
.e"ause he was terriied# the boy didnt answer. %e had ound where his treasure was#
and was rightened at what might ha$$en.
+2ere reugees rom the tribal wars# and we need money#, the other igure said.
+2hat are you hiding there3,
+)m not hiding anything#, the boy answered.
.ut one o them sei-ed the boy and yanked him ba"k out o the hole. Another# who
was sear"hing the boys bags# ound the $ie"e o gold.
+Theres gold here#, he said.
The moon shone on the a"e o the Arab who had sei-ed him# and in the mans eyes
the boy saw death.
+%es $robably got more gold hidden in the ground.,
They made the boy "ontinue digging# but he ound nothing. As the sun rose# the men
began to beat the boy. %e was bruised and bleeding# his "lothing was torn to shreds# and
he elt that death was near.
+2hat good is money to you i youre going to die3 )ts not oten that money "an sa!e
someones lie#, the al"hemist had said. =inally# the boy s"reamed at the men# +)m
digging or treasure9, And# although his mouth was bleeding and swollen# he told his
atta"kers that he had twi"e dreamed o a treasure hidden near the Pyramids o Egy$t.
The man who a$$eared to be the leader o the grou$ s$oke to one o the others(
+4ea!e him. %e doesnt ha!e anything else. %e must ha!e stolen this gold.,
The boy ell to the sand# nearly un"ons"ious. The leader shook him and said# +2ere
lea!ing.,
.ut beore they let# he "ame ba"k to the boy and said# +5oure not going to die. 5oull
li!e# and youll learn that a man shouldnt be so stu$id. Two years ago# right here on this
s$ot# ) had a re"urrent dream# too. ) dreamed that ) should tra!el to the ields o S$ain
and look or a ruined "hur"h where she$herds and their shee$ sle$t. )n my dream# there
was a sy"amore growing out o the ruins o the sa"risty# and ) was told that# i ) dug at
the roots o the sy"amore# ) would ind a hidden treasure. .ut )m not so stu$id as to
"ross an entire desert 'ust be"ause o a re"urrent dream.,
And they disa$$eared.
The boy stood u$ shakily# and looked on"e more at the Pyramids. They seemed to
laugh at him# and he laughed ba"k# his heart bursting with 'oy.
.e"ause now he knew where his treasure was.
EP)4O8?E
The boy rea"hed the small# abandoned "hur"h 'ust as night was alling. The sy"amore
was still there in the sa"risty# and the stars "ould still be seen through the hal*destroyed
roo. %e remembered the time he had been there with his shee$6 it had been a $ea"eul
night . . . e&"e$t or the dream.
Now he was here not with his lo"k# but with a sho!el.
%e sat looking at the sky or a long time. Then he took rom his kna$sa"k a bottle o
wine# and drank some. %e remembered the night in the desert when he had sat with the
al"hemist# as they looked at the stars and drank wine together. %e thought o the many
roads he had tra!eled# and o the strange way 8od had "hosen to show him his treasure.
) he hadnt belie!ed in the signii"an"e o re"urrent dreams# he would not ha!e met the
8y$sy woman# the king# the thie# or . . . +2ell# its a long list. .ut the $ath was written
in the omens# and there was no way ) "ould go wrong#, he said to himsel.
%e ell aslee$# and when he awoke the sun was already high. %e began to dig at the
base o the sy"amore.
+5ou old sor"erer#, the boy shouted u$ to the sky. +5ou knew the whole story. 5ou e!en
let a bit o gold at the monastery so ) "ould get ba"k to this "hur"h. The monk laughed
when he saw me "ome ba"k in tatters. Couldnt you ha!e sa!ed me rom that3,
+No#, he heard a !oi"e on the wind say. +) ) had told you# you wouldnt ha!e seen the
Pyramids. Theyre beautiul# arent they3,
The boy smiled# and "ontinued digging. %al an hour later# his sho!el hit something
solid. An hour later# he had beore him a "hest o S$anish gold "oins. There were also
$re"ious stones# gold masks adorned with red and white eathers# and stone statues
embedded with 'ewels. The s$oils o a "on1uest that the "ountry had long ago orgotten#
and that some "on1uistador had ailed to tell his "hildren about.
The boy took out ?rim and Thummim rom his bag. %e had used the two stones only
on"e# one morning when he was at a market$la"e. %is lie and his $ath had always
$ro!ided him with enough omens.
%e $la"ed ?rim and Thummim in the "hest. They were also a $art o his new treasure#
be"ause they were a reminder o the old king# whom he would ne!er see again.
)ts true6 lie really is generous to those who $ursue their destiny# the boy thought.
Then he remembered that he had to get to Taria so he "ould gi!e one*tenth o his
treasure to the 8y$sy woman# as he had $romised. Those 8y$sies are really smart# he
thought. 0aybe it was be"ause they mo!ed around so mu"h.
The wind began to blow again. )t was the le!anter# the wind that "ame rom Ari"a. )t
didnt bring with it the smell o the desert# nor the threat o 0oorish in!asion. )nstead# it
brought the s"ent o a $erume he knew well# and the tou"h o a kiss7a kiss that "ame
rom ar away# slowly# slowly# until it rested on his li$s.
The boy smiled. )t was the irst time she had done that.
+)m "oming# =atima#, he said.