The Drops of Oil on the Spoon

“I’m like everyone else – I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.” (Coelho 38) The Alchemist is a story of a boy going on a journey in search of his destiny. He shows that in this pursuit, you might lose everything that you’ve ever worked for as a result of one wrong decision, but in the end, you will be rewarded with the accomplishment of the destiny and the treasures it brings along with it. Santiago, a shepherd wanting to travel the distances of the world, leaves everything behind to achieve a destiny that started with a recurring dream. He sells his beloved sheep, and starts with nothing but the money that the sheep were worth. Showing lack of good judgment, Santiago's naivety leads to the loss of his money because he trusted a stranger too easily. Consequentially, he has to work hard to gain it back. Along the way, Santiago meets people who teach him valuable lessons that guide him on his journey. Starting in Andalusia under a sacred tree, he travels all the way south to Africa where he sees the true beauty of the Great Pyramids. Santiago uses his courage, ability to self reflect, and determination to successfully achieve his destiny.

Santiago’s courage helps him overcome the obstacles that challenge him on his journey. After getting robbed in Africa, he works for a crystal merchant who is afraid of changes. Santiago, by reading omens, slowly modifies the shop and therefore sells more crystals. Because of his continuous success, the merchant lets him restyle the shop, believing in the prosperity the boy will surely bring. “ ‘Never stop dreaming,’ the old king had said. ‘Follow the omens.’ “ (59) Santiago’s confidence in his ability to read omens results to a flourishing shop and a pleased merchant. When Santiago leaves the crystal merchant, he travels to an oasis in Al-Fayoum, Egypt after days of traveling. He meets a girl named Fatima who he instantly falls in love with at first sight. Knowing he has to depart the oasis to further move on in his journey, he confidently confesses his love for Fatima. Not wanting to lose her, Santiago asks for her hand in marriage. She leaves without an answer, but on their next encounter, Fatima declares of her responding love. She tells Santiago that she would be willing to wait for his return. The boy then meets a man who convinces him to leave his loved one so that he can continue his journey. On Santiago’s first confrontation with this man, his courage is being challenged. The man, an alchemist, interrogates the boy. In return, Santiago confidently, yet fearfully responds to his questions. “ ‘It is I who dared to do so,’ said the boy.” (105) By choosing to reply with “dared,” he shows the alchemist he is brave enough to withstand whatever punishment is in store for him. His ability to reply with such confidence also shows that he believed he made the right decisions. Santiago, to have found his bravery, had to study himself closely and reflect not only on his surroundings, but his own self as well.

On his journey, Santiago had to be metacognitive to understand his inner self. On his way to Al-Fayoum, he rode a caravan where he met a camel driver. This camel driver taught him to live in the present, leave the past behind, and let the future come if it does. Santiago heeded this advice, and it especially came to his mind when he was in danger of getting killed. When he reflecting on the happenings in his life one day, two hawks’ flights showed an omen about the oasis being in danger of an attack. Santiago tells the tribe’s chieftains of this, and when they hear it, they are shocked. They took note of Santiago’s warning, but threatened to kill him if it did not come true. When this happened, Santiago reflected on his life so far and realized that he would not have minded dying at that moment. He had come further than any shepherd and he had met the love of his life. Santiago was living in the present and reminisced in the past, but didn’t mind if the future was not to come. But on he lived, as the omen resulted to be true, and he proceeded in his adventure. One of the obstacles he had to get through was his heart’s fear. “ ‘When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I’ve discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve.’ “ (125) Santiago listened to his heart, taking in its fears, but also advising it. Because his heart was afraid of failure, it was holding him back from achieving his destiny. But Santiago told his heart that they had traveled a long distance, and that nothing should hold them back now. By listening to his heart, he was able to understand it, therefore allowing Santiago to be in control of his heart. When he achieves his destiny, Santiago reflects on his whole journey and the little things that helped him accomplish it. He understands that if not for all the people he met, he wouldn’t have come so far. He learned valuable lessons along the way, and he applied all these lessons to life to be able to achieve his destiny. By understanding his inner self, Santiago learns he’s determined to achieve his destiny and that he’ll do anything to accomplish it.

Santiago’s determination helps him overcome obstacles, therefore leading him to his destiny; finding the treasure he dreamt about. “ ‘Well I’d like to see their land, and see how they live,’ said [Santiago]. …’Amongst us, the only ones who travel are the shepherds.’ [Father] ‘Well, then I’ll be a shepherd!’[Santiago].” (9) This conversation between Santiago and his father shows Santiago knows what he wants, which is to travel and see the world. In order to live a life that he is happy with, he chooses a career that wouldn’t necessarily make him a wealthier person, but instead one that would allow him to travel. Santiago had the choice of being a priest and earning money to travel the world, knowing they can’t afford for him to just be a traveler, but he decides not to take this choice. One of the challenges Santiago had to attain was to turn into the wind. In the process of doing so, he shows his persistence by asking however many resources he thought could aid him. The wind itself couldn’t help Santiago; even after he explained how it was possible for him to be a part of the wind. Not understanding what Santiago was suggesting, he was passed on to the wiser sun. He had a similar conversation with the sun, but still did not succeed in getting help to turn into the wind. Yet he didn’t give up. At last he was channeled through to God’s soul, the wisest. The connection between God’s soul and Santiago's soul was so strong, they communicated without words. Santiago’s perseverance led him to connecting to God’s soul, which helped him turn into the wind. Further on in the novel, Santiago finally discovers the Great Pyramids. An omen suggests where he should dig for his treasure; a spot in the sand in front of the Pyramids. Tired and weary, Santiago becomes weaker as he digs deeper for his treasure, when suddenly a group of men interrogate him. They try to steal his gold, and Santiago let them, out of his weariness and also his belief in finding his treasure. He finds the determination to keep digging, even as the men harass him. The leader, after beating up Santiago, decides to leave him alone, stating that he is a fool for deciding to give up everything just to follow a recurring dream. He told Santiago of the dreams he had of treasure under a sycamore tree in an abandoned church in Spain. It is from this that Santiago finally learns where his treasure is. If Santiago did not possess his determination, he wouldn’t have come far in his journey, because it is his determination that pushed him to achieving his destiny.

On Santiago’s journey, he loses all he has more than once and works hard to gain it back every time. As his story progresses, Santiago starts seeing the world as it really is, and not just how he wants it to seem. Although allowing yourself to see the world as desired can help in achieving one’s destiny, it is also very important not to be naïve to its trials. Santiago accomplished his destiny with the courage that aided him through the toughest parts of his journey, his reflections about his life and lessons learned, and the determination that pushed him to keep moving forward. After his quest, Santiago, from a doubtful boy, becomes a self-confident young man who reflects on happenings in his surroundings to read omens that will help him in his life. “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.” (31) Like Santiago's journey, this quote suggests that even though you're appreciating the wonders of the world, you must always focus on your goal and never ever forget it.