~ Th e Alch e m ist ~

Pa u lo Coe lh o
§ Prologue
§ Part One
§ Part Two
§ Epilogue

~~~~~~~~~
 Prologue

The alchem ist picked up a book t hat som eone in t he caravan had
brought . Leafing t hrough t he pages, he found a st ory a bout Narcissus.

The alchem ist knew t he legend of Narcissus, a yout h who knelt daily
beside a lak e t o cont em plat e his ow n beaut y . He w as so fascinat ed by
him self t hat , one m orning, he fell int o t he lake and drowned. At t he
spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called t he narcissus.

But t his was not how t he aut hor of t he book ended t he st ory.

He said t hat when Narcissus died, t he goddesses of t he forest

appeared and found t he lake, which had been fresh wat er,
t ransform ed int o a lake of salt y t ea r s.

"Why do you weep?" t he goddesses asked.

" I weep for Narcissus," t he lake replied.

" Ah, it is no surprise t hat you weep for Narcissus," t hey said, " for
t hough we always pursued him in t he forest , you alone could
cont em plat e his beaut y close at hand."

" But ... was Narcissus beaut iful?" t he lake asked.

" Who bet t er t han you t o know t hat ?" t he goddesses said in w onder.
" Aft er all, it was by your banks t hat he knelt each day t o cont em plat e
him self! "

The lake was silent for som e t im e. Finally, it said:

"I weep for Narcissus, but I never not iced t hat Narcissus was beaut iful.
I w eep because, each t im e he knelt beside m y banks, I could see, in
t he dept hs of his eyes, m y own beaut y reflect ed."

" What a lov ely st or y ," t he alchem ist t hought .

 Part One

The boy's nam e was Sant iago. Dusk was falling as t he boy arrived wit h
his herd at an abandoned church. The roof had fallen in long ago, and
an enorm ous sycam ore had grown on t he spot where t he sacrist y had
once st ood.

He decided t o spend t he night t her e. He saw t o it t hat all t he sheep

ent ered t hrough t he ruined gat e, and t hen laid som e planks across it
t o prevent t he flock from wandering away during t he night . There were
no w olv es in t he r egion, but once an anim al had st r ay ed dur ing t he
night , and t he boy had had t o spend t he ent ire next day searching for
it .

He swept t he floor wit h his j acket and lay down, using t he book he had
j ust finished reading as a pillow . He t old him self t hat he w ould have t o
st art reading t hicker books: t hey last ed longer, and m ade m ore
com fort able pillows.

I t was st ill dark when he awoke, and, looking up, he could see t he
st ar s t hr ough t he half- dest royed roof. I want ed t o sleep a lit t le longer,
he t hought . He had had t he sam e dream t hat night as a week ago, and
once again he had awakened before it ended.

He ar ose and, t ak ing up his cr ook , began t o aw ak en t he sheep t hat

st ill slept . He had not iced t hat , as soon as he awoke, m ost of his
anim als also began t o st ir. I t w as as if som e m yst erious energy bound
his life t o t hat of t he shee p, wit h whom he had spent t he past t wo
years, leading t hem t hrough t he count ryside in search of food and
wat er. " They are so used t o m e t hat t hey know m y schedule," he
m ut t ered. Thinking about t hat for a m om ent , he realized t hat it could
be t he ot her w ay ar ound: t hat it w as he w ho had becom e accust om ed
t o t heir schedule.

But t here were cert ain of t hem who t ook a bit longer t o awaken. The
boy prodded t hem , one by one, wit h his crook, calling each by nam e.
He had alw ay s believ ed t hat t he sheep w er e able t o underst and what
he said. So t here were t im es when he read t hem part s of his books
t hat had m ade an im pression on him , or when he would t ell t hem of
t he loneliness or t he happiness of a shepherd in t he fields. Som et im es
he w ould com m ent t o t hem on t he t hings he had seen in t he villages
t hey passed.
But for t he past few days he had spoken t o t hem about only one t hing:
t he girl, t he daught er of a m erchant who lived in t he village t hey would
r each in about four days. He had been t o t he village only once, t he
year before. The m erchant was t he propriet or of a dry goods shop, and
he always dem anded t hat t he sheep be sheared in his presence, so
t hat he would not be cheat ed. A friend had t old t he boy about t he
shop, and he had t ak en his sheep t her e.

~~~~~~~~~

" I ne ed t o sell som e wool," t he boy t old t he m erchant .

The shop was busy, and t he m an asked t he shepherd t o wait unt il t he

aft er noon. So t he boy sat on t he st eps of t he shop and t ook a book
from his bag.

" I didn't know shepherds knew how t o read," said a girl 's voice behind
him .

The girl w as t ypical of t he region of Andalusia, w it h flow ing black hair,

and eyes t hat vaguely recalled t he Moorish conquerors.

" Well, usually I learn m ore from m y sheep t han from books," he
answ er ed. Dur ing t he t w o hour s t hat t hey t alked, she t old him she was
t he m erchant 's daught er, and spoke of life in t he village, w here each
day was like all t he ot hers. The shepherd t old her of t he Andalusian
count ryside, and relat ed t he news from t he ot her t owns where he had
st opped. I t was a pl easant change from t alking t o his sheep.

" How did you learn t o read?" t he girl asked at one point .

" Like everybody learns," he said. " I n school."

" Well, if you know how t o read, why are you j ust a shepherd?"

The boy m um bled an answ er t hat allow ed him to avoid responding t o

her quest ion. He was sure t he girl would never underst and. He went
on t elling st ories about his t ravels, and her bright , Moorish eyes went
wide wit h fear and surprise. As t he t im e passed, t he boy found him self
wishing t hat t he day would never end, t hat her fat her would st ay busy
and keep him wait ing for t hree days. He recognized t hat he was
feeling' som et hing he had never experienced before: t he desire t o live
in one place forever. Wit h t he girl wit h t he raven hair, his days would
never be t he sam e again.
But finally t he m er chant appear ed, and asked t he boy t o shear four
sheep. He paid for t he wool and asked t he shepherd t o com e back t he
following year.

~~~~~~~~~

And now it w as only four days before he w ould be back in t hat sam e
village. He was excit ed, and at t he sam e t im e uneasy: m aybe t he girl
had already forgot t en him . Lot s of shepherds passed t hrough, selling
t heir w ool.

" I t doesn't m at t er ," he said t o his sheep. " I know ot her gir ls in ot her
places."

But in his heart he knew t hat it did m at t er. And he knew t hat
shepherds, like seam en and like t raveling salesm en, always found a
t own where t here was som eone who could m ake t hem forget t he j oys
of carefree w andering.

The day w as daw ning, and t he shepherd urged his sheep in t he

dire ct ion of t he sun. They never have t o m ake any decisions, he
t hought . Maybe t hat 's why t hey always st ay close t o m e.

The only t hings t hat concerned t he sheep were food and wat er. As
long as t he boy knew how t o find t he best past ures in Andalusia, t hey
woul d be his fr iends. Yes, t heir day s w er e all t he sam e, w it h t he
seem ingly endless hours bet w een sunrise and dusk; and t hey had
never read a book in t heir young lives, and didn't underst and when t he
boy t old t hem about t he sight s of t he cit ies. They were cont ent wit h
j ust food and wat er, and, in exchange, t hey generously gave of t heir
wool, t heir com pany, and - once in a while - t heir m eat .

I f I becam e a m onst er t oday, and decided t o kill t hem , one by one,

t hey would becom e aware only aft er m ost of t he flock had been
slaught ered, t hought t he boy. They t rust m e, and t hey've forgot t en
how t o rely on t heir own inst inct s, because I lead t hem t o
nour ishm ent .

The boy w as surprised at his t hought s. Maybe t he church, w it h t he

sycam ore grow ing from w it hin, had been haunt ed. I t had caused him
t o have t he sam e dream for a second t im e, and it was causing him t o
feel anger t oward his fait hful com panions. He drank a bit from t he
wine t hat rem ained from his dinner of t he night before, and he
gat hered his j acket closer t o his body. He knew t hat a few hours from
now , w it h t he sun at it s zenit h, t he heat w ould be so gr eat t hat he
w ould not be able t o lead his flock acr oss t he fields. I t w as t he t im e of
day w hen all of Spain slept during t he sum m er. The heat last ed unt il
night fall, and all t hat t im e he had t o carry his j acket . But w hen he
t hought t o com plain about t he burden of it s weight , he rem em bered
t hat , because he had t he j acket , he had wit hst ood t he cold of t he
daw n.

We have t o be prepared for change, he t hought , and he w as grat eful

for t he j acket 's weight and warm t h.

The j acket had a purpose, and so did t he boy. His purpose in life was
t o t ravel, and, aft er t w o years of w alking t he Andalusian t errain, he
k new all t he cit ies of t he r egion. He w as planning, on t his v isit , to
explain t o t he girl how it was t hat a sim ple shepherd knew how t o
read. That he had at t ended a sem inary unt il he was sixt een. His
parent s had want ed him t o becom e a priest , and t hereby a source of
pride for a sim ple farm fam ily. They worked hard j ust t o have food and
wat er, like t he sheep. He had st udied Lat in, Spanish, and t heology.
But ever since he had been a child, he had w ant ed t o know t he w or ld,
and t his was m uch m ore im port ant t o him t han knowing God and
learning about m an's sins. One aft ernoon, on a visit t o his fam ily, he
had sum m oned up t he courage t o t ell his fat her t hat he didn't w ant t o
becom e a priest . That he want ed t o t ravel.

~~~~~~~~~

" People from all over t he world have passed t hrough t his village, son,"
said his fat her. "They com e in search of new t hings, but when t hey
leave t hey are basically t he sam e people t hey were when t hey arrived.
They clim b t he m ount ain t o see t he cast le, and t hey wind up t hinking
t hat t he past was bet t er t han what we have now. They have blond
hair, or dark skin, but basically t hey're t he sam e as t he people who
live right here."

" But I 'd like t o see t he cast les in t he t ow ns w here t hey live," t he boy
ex plained.

" Those people, when t hey see our land, say t hat t hey would like t o live
here forever," his fat her cont inued.

" Well, I 'd like t o see t heir land, and see how t hey live," said his son.
" The people w ho com e here have a lot of m oney t o spend, so t hey can
afford t o t ravel," his fat her said. " Am ongst us, t he only ones w ho
t r av el ar e t he shepher ds. "

" Well, t h en I 'll be a shepherd! "

His fat her said no m or e. The nex t day , he gav e his son a pouch t hat
held t hree ancient Spanish gold coins.

" I found t hese one day in t he fields. I w ant ed t hem t o be a part of

your inherit ance. But use t hem t o buy your flock. Take t o t he fields,
and som eday you'll learn t hat our count ryside is t he best , and our
wom en t he m ost beaut iful."

And he gave t he boy his blessing. The boy could see in his fat hers
gaze a desire t o be able, him self, t o t ravel t he world - a desire t hat
w as st ill alive, despit e his fat her's having had t o bury it , over dozens of
years, under t he burden of st ruggling for wat er t o drink, food t o eat ,
and t he sam e place t o sleep every night of his life.

~~~~~~~~~

The horizon was t inged wit h red, and suddenly t he sun appeared. The
boy t hought back t o t hat conversat ion wit h his fat her, and felt happy;
he had alr eady seen m any cast les and m et m any w om en ( but none
t he equal of t he one who await ed him several days hence) . He owned
a j ack et , a book t hat he could t r ade for anot her , and a flock of sheep.
But , m ost im port ant , he was able every day t o live out his dream . I f
he w er e t o t ir e of t he Andalusian fields, he could sell his sheep and go
t o sea. By t he t im e he had had enough of t he sea, he w ould alr eady
have known ot her cit ies, ot her wom en, and ot her chances t o be
happy . I couldn't hav e found God in t he sem inar y , he t hought , as he
looked at t he sunr ise.

Whenever he could, he sought out a new r oad t o t r avel. He had never

been t o t hat ruined church before, in spit e of havi ng t raveled t hrough
t hose part s m any t im es. The world was huge and inexhaust ible; he
had only t o allow his sheep t o set t he rout e for a while, and he would
discover ot her int erest ing t hings. The problem is t hat t hey don't even
realize t hat t hey're w alking a new road every day. They don't see t hat
t he fields are new and t he seasons change. All t hey t hink about is food
and wat er.
Maybe we're all t hat way, t he boy m used. Even m e -I haven't t hought
of ot her wom en since I m et t he m erchant 's daught er. Looking at the
sun, he calculat ed t hat he would reach Tarifa before m idday. There, he
could exchange his book for a t hicker one, fill his w ine bot t le, shave,
and have a haircut ; he had t o prepare him self for his m eet ing wit h t he
girl, and he didn't w ant t o t hink about t he possibilit y t hat som e ot her
shepherd, w it h a larger flock of sheep, had arrived t here before him
and asked for her hand.

I t 's t he possibilit y of having a dream com e t rue t hat m akes life

int erest ing, he t hought , as he looked again at t he posit ion of t he sun,
and hurried his pace. He had suddenly rem em bered t hat , in Tarifa,
t her e w as an old w om an w ho int er pr et ed dr eam s.

~~~~~~~~~

The old w om an led t he boy t o a room at t he back of her house; it w as

separat ed from her living room by a curt ain of colored beads. The
room 's furnishings consist ed of a t able, an im age of t he Sacred Heart
of Jesus, and t wo chairs. The wom an sat down, and t old him t o be
seat ed as w ell. Then she t ook bot h of his hands in hers, and began
quiet ly t o pray.

I t sounded lik e a Gy psy prayer. The boy had already had experience
on t he road w it h Gypsies; t hey also t raveled, but t hey had no flocks of
sheep. People said t hat Gypsies spent t heir lives t ricking ot hers. I t was
also said t hat t hey had a pact w it h t he devil, and t hat t hey kidnapped
children and, t aking t hem away t o t heir m yst erious cam ps, m ade t hem
t heir slaves. As a child, t he boy had alw ays been fr ight ened t o deat h
t hat he would be capt ured by Gypsies, and t his childhood fear ret urned
w hen t he old w om an t ook his hands in hers.

But she has t he Sacred Heart of Jesus t here, he t hought , t rying t o

reassure him self. He didn't want his hand t o begin t rem bling, showing
t he old wom an t hat he was fearful. He recit ed an Our Fat her silent ly.

" Very int erest ing," said t he wom an, never t aki ng her eyes from t he
boy's hands, and t hen she fell silent .

The boy was becom ing nervous. His hands began t o t rem ble, and t he
wom an sensed it . He quickly pulled his hands away.
" I didn't com e her e t o have you r ead m y palm ," he said, alr eady
r egr et t ing hav ing com e. He t hought for a m om ent t hat it w ould be
bet t er t o pay her fee and leave w it hout lear ning a t hing, t hat he w as
giving t oo m uch im port ance t o his recurrent dream .

" You cam e so t hat you could learn about your dream s," said t he old
wom an. "And d r eam s ar e t he language of God. When he speak s in our
language, I can int erpret what he has said. But if he speaks in t he
language of t he soul, it is only you w ho can underst and. But ,
whichever it is, I 'm going t o charge you for t he consult at ion."

Anot her t rick, t he boy t hought . But he decided t o t ake a chance. A

shepherd always t akes his chances wit h wolves and wit h drought , and
t hat 's what m akes a shepherd's life excit ing.

" I hav e had t he sam e dr eam t w ice," he said. " I dr eam ed t hat I w as in
a field w it h m y sheep, when a child appeared and began t o play wit h
t he anim als. I don't like people t o do t hat , because t he sheep are
afraid of st rangers. But children always seem t o be able t o play wit h
t hem wit hout fright ening t hem . I don't know why. I don't know how
anim als know t he age of hum an beings."

" Tell m e m ore about your dream ," said t he wom an. " I have t o get
back t o m y cooking, and, since you don't have m uch m oney, I can't
give you a lot of t im e."

" The child went on playing wit h m y sheep for quit e a while ," cont inued
t he boy, a bit upset . " And suddenly, t he child t ook m e by bot h hands
and t ransport ed m e t o t he Egypt ian pyram ids."

He paused for a m om ent t o see if t he w om an knew w hat t he Egypt ian

pyram ids were. But she said not hing.

" Then, at t he Egy pt ian pyram ids,"- he said t he last t hr ee w or ds slow ly ,

so t hat t he old w om an w ould under st and - " t he child said t o m e, 'I f
you com e here, you will find a hidden t reasure.' And, j ust as she was
about t o show m e t he exact locat ion, I woke up. Bot h t im es."

The wom an w as silent for som e t im e. Then she again t ook his hands
and st udied t hem carefully.

" I 'm not going t o charge you anyt hing now," she said. " But I want
one - t ent h of t he t reasure, if you find it ."
The boy laughed - out of happiness. He was going t o be able t o save
t he lit t le m oney he had because of a dream about hidden t reasure!

" Well, int erpret t he dream ," he said.

" First , swear t o m e. Swear t hat you will give m e one -t ent h of your
t reasure in exchange for what I am going t o t ell you.

The shepherd swore t hat he would. The old wom an asked him t o
sw ear again w hile looking at t he im age of t he Sacr ed Hear t of Jesus.

" I t 's a dr eam in t he language of t he w or ld," she said. " I can int er pr et
it , but t he int erpret at ion is very difficult . That 's why I feel t hat I
deserve a part of what you find.

" And t his is m y int erpret at ion: you m ust go t o t he Pyram ids in Egypt . I
have never heard of t hem , but , if it w as a child w ho show ed t hem t o
you, t hey exist . There you will find a t reasure t hat will m ake you a rich
m an."

The boy was surprised, and t hen irrit at ed. He didn't need t o seek out
t he old w om an for t his! But t hen he rem em bered t hat he w asn't going
t o have t o pay anyt hing.

" I didn't need t o wast e m y t im e j ust for t his," he said.

" I t old you t hat your dream was a difficult one. I t 's t he sim ple t hings in
life t hat are t he m ost ext raordinary; only wise m en are able t o
underst and t hem . And since I am not wise, I have had t o learn ot her
art s, such as t he reading of palm s."

" Well, how am I going t o get t o Egypt ?"

" I only int erpret dream s. I don't know how t o t urn t hem int o realit y.
That 's why I have t o live off what m y daught ers provide m e wit h."

" And what if I never get t o Egypt ?"

" Then I don't get paid. I t wouldn't be t he first t im e."

And t he w om an t old t he boy t o leave, saying she had already wast ed

t oo m uch t im e wit h him .
So t he boy was disappoint ed; he decided t hat he would never again
believe in dream s. He rem em bered t hat he had a num ber of t hings he
had t o t ake car e of: he w ent t o t he m ar ket for som et hing t o eat, he
t raded his book for one t hat was t hicker, and he found a bench in t he
plaza w here he could sam ple t he new w ine he had bought . The day
was hot , and t he wine was refreshing. The sheep were at t he gat es of
t he cit y, in a st able t hat belonged t o a friend. The boy knew a lot of
people in t he cit y . That w as w hat m ade t r av eling appeal t o him- he
alw ays m ade new friends, and he didn't need t o spend all of his t im e
w it h t hem . When som eone sees t he sam e people ev er y day , as had
happened wit h him at t he sem inary, t hey wind up becom ing a part of
t hat person's life. And t hen t hey want t he person t o change. I f
som eone isn't w hat ot hers w ant t hem t o be, t he ot hers becom e angry.
Everyone seem s t o have a clear idea of how ot her people should lead
t heir lives, but none about his or her own.

He decided t o w ait unt il t he sun had sunk a bit low er in t he sky before
following his flock back t hrough t he fields. Three days from now, he
would be wit h t he m erchant 's daught er. He st ar t ed t o r ead t he book
he had bought . On t he very first page it described a burial cerem ony.
And t he nam es of t he people involved were very difficult t o pronounce.
I f he ever wrot e a book, he t hought , he would present one person at a
t im e, so t hat t he r eader w ouldn't have t o w or r y about m em or izing a
lot of nam es.

When he was finally able t o concent rat e on what he was reading, he

liked t he book bet t er; t he burial was on a snowy day, and he
welcom ed t he feeling of being cold. As he read on, an old m an sat
down at his side and t ried t o st rike up a conversat ion.

" What are t hey doing?" t he old m an asked, point ing at t he people in
t he plaza.

" Working," t he boy answered dryly, m aking it look as if he want ed t o

concent rat e on his reading.

Act ually, he was t hinking about shearing his sheep in front of t he

m erchant 's daught er, so t hat she could see t hat he was som eone who
was capable of doing difficult t hings. He had already im agined t he
scene m any t im es; every t im e, t he girl becam e fascinat ed when he
explained t hat t he sheep had t o be sheared from back t o front . He also
t ried t o rem em ber som e good st ories t o relat e as he sheared t he
sheep. Most of t hem he had read in books, but he would t ell t hem as if
t hey were from his personal experience. She would never know t he
difference, because she didn't know how t o rea d.

Meanw hile, t he old m an per sist ed in his at t em pt t o st r ik e up a

conversat ion. He said t hat he w as t ired and t hirst y, and asked if he
m ight have a sip of t he boy's wine. The boy offered his bot t le, hoping
t hat t he old m an would leave him alone.

But t he old m an w ant ed t o t alk, and he asked t he boy w hat book he

was reading. The boy was t em pt ed t o be rude, and m ove t o anot her
bench, but his fat her had t aught him t o be respect ful of t he elderly. So
he held out t he book t o t he m an - for t w o r easons: fir st , t hat he,
him self, wasn't sure how t o pronounce t he t it le; and second, t hat if t he
old m an didn't know how t o read, he would probably feel asham ed and
decide of his own accord t o change benches.

" Hm m ..." said t he old m an, looking at all sides of t he book, as if it

were som e st range obj ect . " This is an im port ant book, but it 's really
ir r it at ing."

The boy was shocked. The old m an knew how t o read, and had already
r ead t he book. And if t he book w as ir r it at ing, as t he old m an had said,
t he boy st ill had t im e t o change it for anot her.

" I t 's a book t hat say s t he sam e t hing alm ost all t he ot her book s in t he
world say," cont inued t he old m an. " I t describes peoples inabilit y t o
choose t heir own Personal Legends. And it ends up saying t hat
everyone believes t he worlds great est lie."

" What 's t he worlds great est lie?" t he boy asked, com plet ely surprised.

" I t 's t his: t hat at a cert ain point in our lives, we lose cont rol of what 's
happening t o us, and our lives becom e cont rolled by fat e. That 's t he
world's great est lie."

" That 's never happened t o m e," t he boy said. " They want ed m e t o be a
priest , but I decided t o becom e a shepherd."

" Much bet t er," said t he old m an. " Because you really like t o t ravel."

" He knew what I was t hinking," t he boy said t o him self. The old m an,
m eanwhile, was leafing t hrough t he book, wit hout seem ing t o want t o
ret urn it at all. The boy not iced t hat t he m an's clot hing was st range.
He looked like an Arab, which was not unusual in t hose part s. Africa
was only a few hours from Tarifa; one had only t o cross t he narrow
st rait s by boat . Arabs oft en appeared in t he cit y, shopping and
chant ing t heir st range prayers several t im es a day.

" Where are you from ?" t he boy asked.

" From m any places."

" No one can be from m any places," t he boy said. " I 'm a sheph erd, and
I have been t o m any places, but I com e from only one place - from a
cit y near an ancient cast le. That 's where I was born."

" Well t hen, we could say t hat I was born in Salem ."

The boy didn't know where Salem was, but he didn't want t o ask,
fear ing t hat he w ould appear ignorant . He looked at t he people in t he
plaza for a while; t hey were com ing and going, and all of t hem seem ed
t o be very busy.

"So, what is Salem like?" he asked, t rying t o get som e sort of clue.

" I t 's like it alw ays has been."

No clue yet . But he knew t hat Salem wasn't in Andalusia. I f it were, he

w ould alr eady have hear d of it .

" And what do you do in Salem ?" he insist ed.

" What do I do in Salem ?" The old m an laughed. " Well, I 'm t he king of
Salem ! "

People say st r ange t hings, t he boy t hought . Som et im es it 's bet t er t o

be w it h t he sheep, w ho don't say anyt hing. And bet t er st ill t o be alone
wit h one's books. They t ell t heir incredible st ories at t he t im e when
you want t o hear t hem . But when you're t alking t o people, t hey say
som e t h ings t hat are so st range t hat you don't know how t o cont inue
t he conversat ion.

" My nam e is Melchizedek," said t he old m an. " How m any sheep do you
hav e?"

" Enough," said t he boy. He could see t hat t he old m an w ant ed t o know
m ore about his life.
" Well, t hen, we've got a problem . I can't help you if you feel you've
got enough sheep."

The boy was get t ing irrit at ed. He wasn't asking for help. I t was t he old
m an w ho had ask ed for a dr ink of his w ine, and had st ar t ed t he
conversat ion.

" Give m e m y book," t he boy said. " I have t o go and gat her m y sheep
and get going."

" Give m e one -t ent h of your sheep," said t he old m an, " and I 'll t ell you
how t o find t he hidden t reasure."

The boy rem em bered his dream , and suddenly everyt hing was clear t o
him . The old wom an hadn't char ged him any t hing, but t he old m an-
m aybe he was her husband- w as going t o find a w ay t o get m uch
m ore m oney in exchange for inform at ion about som et hing t hat didn't
even exist . The old m an was probably a Gypsy, t oo.

But before t he boy could say anyt hing, t he old m an leaned over,
pick ed up a st ick , and began t o w r it e in t he sand of t he plaza.
Som et hing bright reflect ed from his chest wit h such int ensit y t hat t he
boy was m om ent arily blinded. Wit h a m ovem ent t hat was t oo quick for
som eone his age, t he m an covered what ever it was wit h his cape.
When his vision ret urned t o norm al, t he boy was able t o read what t he
old m an had writ t en in t he sand.

There, in t he sand of t he plaza of t hat sm all cit y, t he boy read t he

nam es of his fat her and his m ot her and t he nam e of t he sem inary he
had at t ended. He read t he nam e of t he m erchant 's daught er, which he
hadn't even known, and he read t hings he had never t old anyone.

~~~~~~~~~

"I 'm t he king of Salem ," t he old m an had said.

" Why would a king be t alking wit h a sheph erd?" t he boy asked, aw ed
and em barrassed.

" For sever al r easons. But let 's say t hat t he m ost im por t ant is t hat you
have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend."

The boy didn't know what a person's " Personal Legend" was.
" I t 's what you have always want ed t o accom plish. Everyone, when
t hey are young, knows what t heir Personal Legend is.

" At t hat point in t heir lives, everyt hing is clear and everyt hing is
possible. They are not afraid t o dream , and t o yearn for everyt hing
t hey would like t o see happen t o t hem in t heir lives. But , as t im e
passes, a m yst erious force begins t o convince t hem t hat it will be
im possible for t hem t o realize t heir Personal Legend."

None of what t he old m an was saying m ade m uch sense t o t he boy.

But he w ant ed t o k now w hat t he " m yst erious force" was; t he
m erchant 's daught er would be im pressed when he t old her about t hat !

" I t 's a force t hat appears t o be negat ive, but act ually shows you how
t o r ealize your Per sonal Legend. I t pr epar es your spir it and your w ill,
because t her e is one great t rut h on t his planet : whoever you are, or
w hat ever it is t hat you do, w hen you really w ant som et hing, it 's
because t hat desire originat ed in t he soul of t he universe. I t 's your
m ission on Eart h."

" Even when all you want t o do is t ravel? Or m arry t he daught er of a

t ext ile m er chant ?"

" Yes, or even search for t reasure. The Soul of t he World is nourished
by people's happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and j ealousy.
To realize one's Personal Legend is a person's only real obligat ion. All
t hings are one.

" And, when you want som et hing, all t he universe conspires in helping
you t o achieve it ."

They were bot h silent for a t im e, observing t he plaza and t he

t ownspeople. I t was t he old m an who spoke first .

" Why do you t end a flock of sheep?"

" Because I like t o t r avel."

The old m an point ed t o a baker st anding in his shop w indow at one

corner of t he plaza. "When he was a child, t hat m an want ed t o t ravel,
t oo. But he decided first t o buy his bakery and put som e m oney aside.
When he's an old m an, he's going t o spend a m ont h in Africa. He
never realized t hat people are capable, at any t im e in t heir lives, of
doing w hat t hey dr eam of"
" He should have decided t o becom e a shepherd," t he boy said.

" Well, he t hought about t hat ," t he old m an said. " But baker s ar e m or e
im port ant people t han shepherds. Bakers have hom es, while
shepher ds sleep out in t he open. Par ent s w ould r at her see t heir
children m arry bakers t han shepherds."

The boy felt a pang in his heart , t hinking about t he m erchant 's
daught er. There was surely a baker in her t own.

The old m an cont inued, " I n t he long run, what people t hink about
shepherds and bakers becom es m ore im port ant for t hem t han t heir
own Personal Legends."

The old m an leafed t hrough t he book, and fell t o reading a page he

cam e t o. The boy wait ed, and t hen int errupt ed t he old m an j ust as he
him self had been int errupt ed. " Why are you t elling m e all t his?"

" Because you are t rying t o realize your Personal Legend. And you are
at t he point w here you're about t o give it all up."

"An d t hat 's when you always appear on t he scene?"

" Not alw ays in t his w ay, but I alw ays appear in one form or anot her.
Som et im es I appear in t he form of a solut ion, or a good idea. At ot her
t im es, at a crucial m om ent , I m ake it easier for t hings t o happen.
There are ot her t hings I do, t oo, but m ost of t he t im e people don't
realize I 've done t hem ."

The old m an r elat ed t hat , t he w eek befor e, he had been for ced t o
appear before a m iner, and had t aken t he form of a st one. The m iner
had abandoned everyt hing t o go m ining for em eralds. For five years
he had been working a cert ain river, and had exam ined hundreds of
t housands of st ones looking for an em erald. The m iner was about t o
give it all up, right at t he point w hen, if he w ere t o exam ine j ust one
m ore st one - ju st one m ore - he would find his em erald. Since t he
m iner had sacrificed everyt hing t o his Personal Legend, t he old m an
decided t o becom e involved. He t ransform ed him self int o a st one t hat
rolled up t o t he m iners foot . The m iner, w it h all t he anger and
frus t rat ion of his five fruit less years, picked up t he st one and t hrew it
aside. But he had t hr ow n it w it h such for ce t hat it br ok e t he st one it
fell upon, and t her e, em bedded in t he br ok en st one, w as t he m ost
beaut iful em erald in t he world.
" People lear n, early in t heir lives, what is t heir reason for being," said
t he old m an, wit h a cert ain bit t erness. " Maybe t hat 's why t hey give up
on it so early, t oo. But t hat 's t he way it is."

The boy rem inded t he old m an t hat he had said som et hing about
hidden t reasure.

" Treasure is uncovered by t he force of flowing wat er, and it is buried

by t he sam e current s," said t he old m an. " I f you want t o learn about
your own t reasure, you will have t o give m e one- t ent h of your flock."

" What about one -t ent h of m y t reasure?"

The old m an looked disappoint ed. " I f you st art out by prom ising what
you don't even have yet , you'll lose your desire t o work t oward get t ing
it ."

The boy t old him t hat he had already prom ised t o give one -t ent h of his
t reasure t o t he Gypsy.

" Gy psies ar e ex pert s at get t ing people t o do t hat ," sighed t he old m an.
" I n any case, it 's good t hat you've learned t hat everyt hing in life has
it s price. This is what t he Warriors of t he Light t ry t o t each."

The old m an ret urned t he book t o t he boy.

" Tom or r ow , at t his sam e t im e, bring m e a t ent h of your flock. And I

will t ell you how t o find t he hidden t reasure. Good aft ernoon."

And he vanished around t he corner of t he plaza.

~~~~~~~~~

The boy began again t o read his book, but he was no longer able t o
concent rat e. He was t ense and upset , because he knew t hat t he old
m an was right . He went over t o t he bakery and bought a loaf of bread,
t hinking about whet her or not he should t ell t he baker what t he old
m an had said about him . Som et im es it 's bet t er t o leav e t hings as t hey
are, he t hought t o him self, and decided t o say not hing. I f he w ere t o
say anyt hing, t he baker would spend t hree days t hinking about giving
it all up, ev en t hough he had got t en used t o t he w ay t hings w er e. The
boy could cert ainly resist causing t hat kind of anxiet y for t he baker. So
he began t o w ander t hrough t he cit y, and found him self at t he gat es.
There was a sm all building t here, wit h a window at which people
bought t icket s t o Africa. And he knew t hat Egypt was in Africa.

" Can I help you?" asked t he man behind t he w indow .

" Maybe t om orrow," said t he boy, m oving away. I f he sold j ust one of
his sheep, he'd have enough t o get t o t he ot her shore of t he st rait .
The idea fright ened him .

" Anot her dream er," said t he t icket seller t o his assist ant , w at ching t he
boy walk away. " He doesn't have enough m oney t o t ravel."

While st anding at t he t icket window, t he boy had rem em bered his

flock, and decided he should go back t o being a shepherd. I n t wo
y ear s he had lear ned ev er y t hing about shepher ding: he k new how t o
shear sheep, how t o care for pregnant ewes, and how t o prot ect t he
sheep from wolves. He knew all t he fields and past ures of Andalusia.
And he knew what was t he fair price for every one of his anim als.

He decided t o ret urn t o his friend s st able by t he lo ngest rout e

possible. As he walked past t he cit y's cast le, he int errupt ed his ret urn,
and clim bed t he st one ram p t hat led t o t he t op of t he wall. From t here,
he could see Africa in t he dist ance. Som eone had once t old him t hat it
w as from t here t hat t he Moors had com e, t o occupy all of Spain.

He could see alm ost t he ent ire cit y from where he sat , including t he
plaza w her e he had t alked w it h t he old m an. Cur se t he m om ent I m et
t hat old m an, he t hought . He had com e t o t he t ow n only t o find a
wom an who could int erpret his dream . Neit her t he wom an nor t he old
m an were at all im pressed by t he fact t hat he was a shepherd. They
were solit ary individuals who no longer believed in t hings, and didn't
underst and t hat shepherds becom e at t ached t o t heir sheep. He knew
everyt hing about each m em ber of his flock: he knew

w hich ones w ere lam e, w hich one w as t o give birt h t w o m ont hs from
now, and which were t he laziest . He knew how t o shear t hem , and
how t o slaught er t hem . I f he ever decided t o leave t hem , t hey would
suffer.

The wind began t o pick up. He knew t hat wind: people called it t he
levant er, because on it t he Moors had com e from t he Levant at t he
east ern end of t he Medit erranean.
The levant er increased in int ensit y. Here I am , bet ween m y flock and
m y t r easur e, t he boy t hought . He had t o choose bet ween som et hing
he had becom e accust om ed t o and som et hing he w ant ed t o hav e.
There was also t he m erchant s daught er, but she wasn't as im port ant
as his flock, because she didn't depend on him . Maybe she didn't even
rem em ber hi m . He was sure t hat it m ade no difference t o her on which
day he appeared: for her, every day was t he sam e, and when each
day is t he sam e as t he next , it 's because people fail t o recognize t he
good t hings t hat happen in t heir lives every day t hat t he Sun rises.

I left m y fat her, m y m ot her, and t he t own cast le behind. They have
got t en used t o m y being away, and so have I . The sheep will get used
t o m y not being t her e, t oo, t he boy t hought .

From where he sat , he could observe t he plaza.. People cont inued t o

com e and go from t he bakers shop. A young couple sat on t he bench
where he had t alked wit h t he old m an, and t hey kissed.

" That baker..." he said t o him self, wit hout com plet ing t he t hought . The
levant er was st ill get t ing st ronger, and he felt it s force on his face.
That wind had brought t he Moors, yes, but it had also brought t he
sm ell of t he desert and of veiled w om en. I t had brought w it h it t he
sw eat and t he dream s of m en w ho had once left t o search for t he
unknown, and for gold and advent ure- and for the Pyram ids. The boy
felt j ealous of t he freedom of t he wind, and saw t hat he could have t he
sam e freedom . There was not hing t o hold him back except him self.
The sheep, t he m erchant 's daught er, and t he fields of Andalusia were
only st eps along t he way t o his Personal Legend.

The next day, t he boy m et t he old m an at noon. He brought six sheep

wit h him .

" I 'm surprised," t he boy said. " My friend bought all t he ot her sheep
im m ediat ely. He said t hat he had alw ays dream ed of being a
shepherd, and t hat it was a good om en."

" That 's t he way it always is," said t he old m an. " I t 's called t he principle
of favorabilit y. When you play cards t he first t im e, you are alm ost sure
t o win. Beginner's luck."

" Why is t hat ?"

" Because t her e is a for ce t hat w ant s y ou t o r ealize your Personal

Legend; it whet s your appet it e wit h a t ast e of success.
Then t he old m an began t o inspect t he sheep, and he saw t hat one
was lam e. The boy explained t hat it wasn't im port ant , since t hat sheep
was t he m ost int elligent of t he flock, and produced t he m ost wool.

" Where is t he t reasure?" he asked.

" I t 's in Egypt , near t he Pyram ids."

The boy was st art led. The old wom an had said t he sam e t hing. But she
hadn't charged him anyt hing.

" I n order t o find t he t reasure, you will have t o follow t he om ens. God
has prepared a pat h for everyone t o follow. You j ust have t o read t he
om ens t hat he left for you."

Before t he boy could reply, a but t erfly appeared and flut t ered bet ween
him and t he old m an. He rem em bered som et hing his grandfat her had
once t old him : t hat but t erflies were a good om en. Like cricket s, and
like expect at ions; like lizar ds and four- leaf clovers.

" That 's r ight ," said t he old m an, able t o r ead t he boy's t hought s. " Just
as your grandfat her t aught you. These are good om ens."

The old m an opene d his cape, and t he boy was st ruck by what he saw.
The old m an wore a breast plat e of heavy gold, covered wit h precious
st ones. The boy recalled t he brilliance he had not iced on t he previous
day.

He really was a king! He m ust be disguised t o avoid encount ers with

t hiev es.

" Take t hese," said t he old m an, holding out a whit e st one and a black
st one t hat had been em bedded at t he cent er of t he breast plat e. " They
ar e called Ur im and Thum m im . The black signifies 'yes,' and t he w hit e
'no.' When y ou ar e unable t o r ead t he om ens, t hey w ill help you t o do
so. Always ask an obj ect ive quest ion.

" But , if you can, t ry t o m ake your own decisions. The t reasure is at t he
Pyram ids; t hat you already knew . But I had t o insist on t he paym ent
of six sheep because I helped you t o m ake your decision."

The boy put t he st ones in his pouch. From t hen on, he would m ake his
ow n decisions.
" Don't forget t hat everyt hing you deal wit h is only one t hing and
not hing else. And don't forget t he language of om ens. And, above all,
don't forget t o follow your Personal Legend t hrough t o it s conclusion.

" But before I go, I want t o t ell you a lit t le st ory.

" A cer t ain shopkeeper sent his son t o lear n about t he secr et of
happiness from t he w isest m an in t he w orld. The lad w andered
t hrough t he dese rt for fort y days, and finally cam e upon a beaut iful
cast le, high at op a m ount ain. I t was t here t hat t he wise m an lived.

" Rat her t han finding a saint ly m an, t hough, our hero, on ent ering t he
m ain r oom of t he cast le, saw a hive of act ivit y: t r adesm en cam e and
went , people were conversing in t he corners, a sm all orchest ra was
playing soft m usic, and t here was a t able covered wit h plat t ers of t he
m ost delicious food in t hat part of t he world. The wise m an conversed
wit h every one, and t he boy had t o wait for t wo hours before it was his
t urn t o be given t he m an's at t ent ion.

" The wise m an list ened at t ent ively t o t he boy's explanat ion of why he
had com e, but t old him t hat he didn't have t im e j ust t hen t o explain
t he secr et of happiness. He suggest ed t hat t he boy look around t he
palace and ret urn in t wo hours.

" 'Meanwhile, I want t o ask you t o do som et hing,' said t he wise m an,
handing t he boy a t easpoon t hat held t wo drops of oil. As you wander
around, carry t his spoon wit h you wit hout allowing t he oil t o spill.'

" The boy began clim bing and descending t he m any st airways of t he
palace, keeping his eyes fixed on t he spoon. Aft er t wo hours, he
ret urned t o t he room where t he wise m an was.

" 'Well,' asked t he w ise m an, 'did you see t he Persian t apest ries t hat
are hanging in m y dining hall? Did you see t he garden t hat it t ook t he
m ast er gar dener t en year s t o cr eat e? Did you not ice t he beaut iful
parchm ent s in m y library?'

"The boy was em barrassed, and confessed t hat he had observed

not hing. His only concern had been not t o spill t he oil t hat t he w ise
m an had ent rust ed t o him .

'" Then go back and obser ve t he m ar vels of m y w or ld,' said t he w ise

m an. 'You cannot t rust a m an if you don't know his house.'
" Relieved, t he boy picked up t he spoon and ret urned t o his explorat ion
of t he palace, t his t im e observing all of t he w orks of art on t he ceilings
and t he walls. He saw t he gardens, t he m ount ains all around him , t he
beaut y of t he flow ers, and t he t ast e w it h w hich everyt hing had been
select ed. Upon ret urning t o t he wise m an, he relat ed in det ail
everyt hing he had seen.

" 'But where are t he drops of oil I ent rust ed t o you?' asked t he wise
m an.

" Looking down at t he spoon he held, t he boy saw t hat t he oil was
gone.

'" Well, t here is only one piece of advice I can give you,' said t he wisest
of w ise m en. 'The secret of happiness is t o see all t he m arvels of t he
world, and never t o forget t he drops of oil on t he spoon.'"

The shepherd said not hing. He had underst ood t he st ory t he old king
had t old him . A shepher d m ay lik e t o t r av el, but he should nev er
forget about his sheep.

The old m an looked at t he boy and, wit h his hands held t oget her,
m ade several st range gest ures over t he boy's head. Then, t aking his
sheep, he walked away.

~~~~~~~~~

At t he highest point in Tarifa t here is an old fort , built by t he Moors.

From at op it s walls, one can cat ch a glim pse of Africa. Melchizedek,
t he king of Salem , sat on t he w all of t he fort t hat aft ernoon, and felt
t he levant er blowing in his face. The sheep fidget ed nearby, uneasy
w it h t heir new owner and excit ed by so m uch change. All t hey w ant ed
was food and wat er.

Melchizedek wat ched a sm all ship t hat was plowing it s way out of t he
por t . He w ould never again see t he boy, j ust as he had never seen
Abraham again aft er having charged him his one- t ent h fee. That was
his work.

The gods should not have desires, because t hey don't have Personal
Legends. But t he king of Salem hoped desperat ely t hat t he boy would
be successful.
I t 's t oo bad t hat he's quick ly going t o for get m y nam e, he t hought . I
should have repeat ed it for him . Then when he spoke about m e he
would say t hat I am Melchizedek, t he king of Salem .

He looked t o t he skies, feeling a bit abashed, and said, " I know it 's t he
vanit y of vanit ies, as you said, m y Lord. But an old king som et im es
has t o t ake som e pr ide in him self"

~~~~~~~~~

How st range Africa is, t hought t he boy.

He was sit t ing in a bar very m uch like t he ot her bars he had seen
along t he nar r ow st r eet s of Tangier . Som e m en w er e sm oking fr om a
gigant ic pipe t hat t hey passed from one t o t he ot her . I n j ust a few
hours he had seen m en w alking hand in hand, w om en w it h t heir faces
covered, and priest s t hat clim bed t o t he t ops of t ow ers and chant ed -
as everyone about him went t o t heir knees and placed t heir foreheads
on t he ground.

" A pract ice of infidels," he said t o him self. As a child in chur ch, he had
always looked at t he im age of Saint Sant iago Mat am oros on his whit e
horse, his sword unsheat hed, and figures such as t hese kneeling at his
feet . The boy felt ill and t er r ibly alone. The infidels had an evil look
about t hem .

Besides t his, in t he rush of his t ravels he had forgot t en a det ail, j ust
one det ail, which could keep him from his t reasure for a long t im e:
only Arabic was spoken in t his count ry.

The ow ner of t he bar appr oached him, and t he boy point ed t o a drink
t hat had been served at t he next t able. I t t urned out t o be a bit t er t ea.
The boy preferred wine.

But he didn't need t o w or r y about t hat r ight now . What he had t o be

concerned about was his t reasure, and how he was going t o go about
get t ing it . The sale of his sheep had left him w it h enough m oney in his
pouch, and t he boy knew t hat in m oney t here was m agic; whoever has
m oney is never really alone. Before long, m aybe in j ust a few days, he
w ould be at t he Pyram ids. An old m a n, wit h a breast plat e of gold,
w ouldn't hav e lied j ust t o acquir e six sheep.

The old m an had spoken about signs and om ens, and, as t he boy was
crossing t he st rait , he had t hought about om ens. Yes, t he old m an had
know n w hat he w as t alking about : during t he t im e t he boy had spent
in t he fields of Andalusia, he had becom e used t o learning which pat h
he should t ake by obser ving t he gr ound and t he sky. He had
discover ed t hat t he pr esence of a cer t ain bir d m eant t hat a snake w as
nearby, and t hat a cert ain shrub w as a sign t hat t her e w as w at er in
t he area. The sheep had t aught him t hat .

I f God leads t he sheep so w ell, he w ill also lead a m an> he t hought ,

and t hat m ade him feel bet t er. The t ea seem ed less bit t er.

"Who are you?" he heard a voice ask him in Spanis h.

The boy was relieved. He was t hinking about om ens, and som eone had
appear ed.

" How com e you speak Spanish?" he asked. The new arrival was a
young m an in West ern dress, but t he color of his skin suggest ed he
was from t his cit y. He was about t he sam e age and height as t he boy.

" Alm ost everyone here speaks Spanish. We're only t wo hours from
Spain."

" Sit down, and let m e t reat you t o som et hing," said t he boy. " And ask
for a glass of wine for m e. I hat e t his t ea."

" There is no wine in t his count ry," t he young m an said. "The religion
here forbids it ."

The boy t old him t hen t hat he needed t o get t o t he Pyram ids. He
alm ost began t o t ell about his t reasure, but decided not t o do so. I f he
did, it was possible t hat t he Arab would want a part of it as paym ent
f or t aking him t here. He rem em bered what t he old m an had said about
offering som et hing you didn't even have yet .

" I 'd like you t o t ake m e t here if you can. I can pay you t o serve as m y
guide."

" Do you have any idea how t o get t here?" t he newcom er asked.

The boy not iced t hat t he owner of t he bar st ood nearby, list ening
at t ent ively t o t heir conversat ion. He felt uneasy at t he m an's presence.
But he had found a guide, and didn't w ant t o m iss out on an
opport unit y.
" You have t o cross t he ent ire Sahara desert ," said t he young m an.
" And t o do t hat , you need m oney. I need t o know w het her you have
enough."

The boy t hought it a st range quest ion. But he t rust ed in t he old m an,
w ho had said t hat , w hen you really w ant som et hing, t he universe
always conspires in your favor.

He t ook his m oney from his pouch and showed it t o t he young m an.
The owner of t he bar cam e over and looked, as well. The t wo m en
exchanged som e words in Arabic, and t he bar owner seem ed irrit at ed.

" Let 's get out of here," said t he new arrival. " He want s us t o leave."

The boy was relieved. He got up t o pay t he bill, but t he owner grabbed
him and began t o speak t o him in an angry st ream of words. The boy
w as st rong, and w ant ed t o ret aliat e, but he w as in a foreign count ry.
His new friend pushed t he owner aside, and pulled t he boy out side
wit h him . " He want ed your m oney," he said. " Tangier is not like t he
rest of Africa. This is a port , and every port has it s t hieves."

The boy t rust ed his new friend. He had helped him out in a dangerous
sit uat ion. He t ook out his m oney and count ed it .

" We could get t o t he Pyram ids by t om orrow ," said t he ot her, t aking
t he m oney. " But I have t o buy t wo cam els."

They w alked t oget her t hrough t he narrow st reet s of Tangier.

Everywhere t here were st alls wit h it em s for sale. They reached t he
cent er of a large plaza where t he m arket was held. There were
t housands of people t here, arguing, selling, and buying; veget ables for
sale am ongst daggers, and carpet s displayed alongside t obacco. But
t he boy never t ook his eye off his new friend. Aft er all, he had all his
m oney. He t hought about asking him t o give it back, but decided t hat
would be unfriendly. He knew not hing about t he cust om s of t he
st range land he was in.

" I 'll j ust wat ch him ," he said t o him self. He knew he was st ronger t han
his fr iend.

Suddenly, t here in t he m idst of all t hat confusion, he saw t he m ost

beaut iful sw ord he had ever seen. The scabbard w as em bossed in
silver, and t he handle was black and encrust ed wit h precious st ones.
The boy prom ised him self t hat , when he ret urned from Egypt , he
w ould buy t hat sw or d.

" Ask t he ow ner of t hat st all how m uch t he sw ord cost s," he said t o his
friend. Then he realized t hat he had been dist ract ed for a few
m om ent s, looking at t he sw ord. His heart squeezed, as if his chest had
suddenly com pressed it . He was afraid t o look around, because he
knew what he would find. He cont inued t o look at t he beaut iful sword
for a bit longer, unt il he sum m oned t he courage t o t urn around.

All around him w as t he m arket , w it h people com ing and going,

shout ing and buying, and t he arom a of st range foods ... but now here
could he find his new com panion.

The boy want ed t o believe t hat his friend had sim ply becom e
separat ed from him by accident . He decided t o st ay right t here and
await his ret urn. As he wait ed, a priest clim bed t o t he t op of a nearby
t ow er and began his chant ; everyone in t he m arket fell t o t heir knees,
t ouched t heir foreheads t o t he ground, and t ook up t he chant . Then,
like a colony of worker ant s, t hey dism ant led t heir st alls and left .

The Sun began it s depart ure, as w ell. The boy w at ched it t hrough it s
t r aj ect or y for som e t im e, unt il it w as hidden behind t he w hit e houses
surrounding t he plaza. He recalled t hat when t he sun had risen t hat
m orning, he was on anot her cont inent , st ill a shepherd wit h sixt y
sheep, and looking forward t o m eet ing wit h a girl. That m orning he
had known everyt hing t hat was going t o happen t o him as he walked
t hrough t he fam iliar fields. But now, as t he sun began t o set , he was in
a different count ry, a st ranger in a st range land, where he couldn't
even speak t he language. He was no longer a shepherd, and he had
not hing, not even t he m oney t o ret urn and st art everyt hing over.

All t his happened bet ween sunrise and sunset , t he boy t hought . He
was feeling sorry for him self, and lam ent ing t he fact t hat his life could
have changed so suddenly and so drast ically.

He was so asham ed t hat he want ed t o cry. He had never even wept in

front of his own sheep. But t he m arket place was em pt y, and he was
far fr om hom e, so he wept . He w ept because God w as unfair, and
because t his w as t he w ay God r epaid t hose w ho believ ed in t heir
dr eam s.

When I had m y sheep, I was happy, and I m ade t hose around m e

happy. People saw m e com ing and welcom ed m e, he t hought . But now
I 'm sad and alone. I 'm going t o becom e bit t er and dist rust ful of people
because one person bet rayed m e. I 'm going t o hat e t hose who have
found t heir t reasure because I never found m ine. And I 'm going t o
hold on t o what lit t le I have, because I 'm t oo insignificant t o conquer
t he w orld.

He opened his pouch t o see what was left of his possessions; m aybe
t here was a bit left of t he sandwich he had eat en on t he ship. But all
he found w as t he heavy book, his j acket , and t he t w o st ones t he old
m an had given him .

As he looked at t he st ones, he felt relieved for som e reason. He had

exchanged six sheep for t wo precious st ones t hat had been t aken from
a gold br east plat e. He could sell t he st ones and buy a r et ur n t ick et .
But t his t im e I 'll be sm art er, t he boy t hought , rem oving t hem from t he
pouch so he could put t hem in his pocket . This w as a port t ow n, and
t he only t rut hful t hing his friend had t old him was t hat port t owns are
full of t hiev es.

Now he underst ood w hy t he ow ner of t he bar had been so upset : he

w as t r y ing t o t ell him not t o t rust t hat m an. " I 'm like everyone else- I
see t he world in t erm s of what I would like t o see happen, not what
act ually does."

He ran his fingers slowly over t he st ones, sensing t heir t em perat ure
and feeling t heir surfaces. They were his t reasure. Jus t handling t hem
m ade him feel bet t er. They rem inded him of t he old m an.

" When you w ant som et hing, all t he universe conspires in helping you
t o achieve it ," he had said.

The boy w as t r ying t o under st and t he t r ut h of w hat t he old m an had

said. There he was in t he em pt y m arket place, wit hout a cent t o his
nam e, and wit h not a sheep t o guard t hrough t he night . But t he st ones
were proof t hat he had m et wit h a king- a king who knew of t he boy's
past .

" They're called Urim and Thum m im , and t hey can help you t o read t he
om ens." The boy put t he st ones back in t he pouch and decided t o do
an experim ent . The old m an had said t o ask very clear quest ions, and
t o do t hat , t he boy had t o know w hat he w ant ed. So, he asked if t he
old m an's blessing was st ill wit h him .

He t ook out one of t he st ones. I t was "yes."

" Am I going t o find m y t reasure?" he asked.

He st uck his hand int o t he pouch, and felt ar ound for one of t he
st ones. As he did so, bot h of t hem pushed t hr ough a hole in t he pouch
and fell t o t he ground. The boy had never even not iced t hat t here was
a hole in his pouch. He knelt down t o find Urim and Thum m im and put
t hem back in t he pouch. But as he saw t hem lying t here on t he
ground, anot her phrase cam e t o his m ind.

" Learn t o recognize om ens, and follow t hem ," t he o ld king had said.

An om en. The boy sm iled t o him self. He picked up t he t w o st ones and

put t hem back in his pouch. He didn't consider m ending t he hole - the
st ones could fall t hrough any t im e t hey want ed. He had learned t hat
t here w ere cert ain t hings one sho uldn't ask about , so as not t o flee
from one's own Personal Legend. " I prom ised t hat I would m ake m y
own decisions," he said t o him self.

But t he st ones had t old him t hat t he old m an w as st ill w it h him , and
t hat m ade him feel m ore confident . He looked around at t he em pt y
plaza again, feeling less desperat e t han before. This w asn't a st range
place; it was a new one.

Aft er all, what he had always want ed was j ust t hat : t o know new
places. Even if he never got t o t he Pyram ids, he had already t raveled
fart her t han any shepherd he knew. Oh, if t hey only knew how
different t hings are j ust t wo hours by ship from where t hey are, he
t hought . Alt hough his new world at t he m om ent was j ust an em pt y
m arket place, he had already seen it when it was t eem ing wit h life, and
he would never forget it . He rem em bered t he sword. I t hurt him a bit
t o t hink about it , but he had never seen one like it before. As he
m used about t hese t hings, he realized t hat he had t o choose bet ween
t hinking of him self as t he poor vict im of a t hief and as an advent urer
in quest of his t reasure.

" I 'm an advent urer, looking for t reasure," he said t o him self.

~~~~~~~~~

He w as shaken int o w akefulness by som eone. He had fallen asleep in

t he m iddle of t he m arket place, and life in t he plaza was about t o
r esum e.
Looking around, he sought his sheep, and t hen realized t hat he w as in
a new world. But inst ead of being saddened, he was happy. He no
longer had t o seek out food and wat er for t he sheep; he could go in
search of his t reasure, inst ead. He had not a ce nt in his pocket , but he
had fait h. He had decided, t he night befor e, t hat he w ould be as m uch
an advent ur er as t he ones he had adm ir ed in books.

He walked slowly t hrough t he m arket . The m erchant s were assem bling

t heir st alls, and t he boy helped a candy seller t o do his. The candy
seller had a sm ile on his face: he was happy, aware of what his life
was about , and ready t o begin a day's work. His sm ile rem inded t he
boy of t he old m an - t he m yst erious old king he had m et . " This candy
m erchant isn't m aking candy so t hat lat er he can t ravel or m arry a
shopkeepers daught er. He's doing it because it 's what he want s t o do,"
t hought t he boy . He r ealized t hat he could do t he sam e t hing t he old
m an had done- sense whet her a person was near t o or far from his
Personal Le gend. Just by looking at t hem . I t 's easy, and yet I 've never
done it before, he t hought .

When t he st all was assem bled, t he candy seller offered t he boy t he

fir st sw eet he had m ade for t he day. The boy t hanked him , at e it , and
w ent on his w ay . When he had gone only a short dist ance, he realized
t hat , while t hey were erect ing t he st all, one of t hem had spoken Arabic
and t he ot her Spanish.

And t hey had underst ood each ot her perfect ly well.

There m ust be a language t hat doesn't depend on words, t he boy

t hought . I 've already had t hat experience wit h m y sheep, and now it 's
happening wit h people.

He was learning a lot of new t hings. Som e of t hem were t hings t hat he
had already experienced, and weren't really new, but t hat he had
never perceived before. And he hadn't perceived t hem because he had
becom e accust om ed t o t hem . He realized: I f I can learn t o underst and
t his language wit hout words, I can learn t o underst and t he world.

Relaxed and unhurried, he resolved t hat he would walk t hrough t he

narrow st reet s of Tangier. Only in t hat way would he be able t o read
t he om ens. He knew it would require a lot of pat ience, but shepherds
know all about pat ience. Once again he saw t hat , in t hat st range land,
he w as applying t he sam e lessons he had learned w it h his sheep.

" All t hings are one," t he old m an had said.

~~~~~~~~~

The cryst al m erchant awoke wit h t he day, and felt t he sam e anxiet y
t hat he felt every m orning. He had been in t he sam e place for t hirt y
year s: a shop at t he t op of a hilly st r eet w her e few cust om er s passed.
Now it was t oo lat e t o change anyt hing-t he only t hing he had ever
lear ned t o do w as t o buy and sell cr y st al glassw ar e. Ther e had been a
t im e when m any people knew of his shop: Arab m erchant s, French and
English geologist s, Ger m an soldier s w ho w er e always well - heeled. I n
t hose days it had been w onderful t o be selling cryst al, and he had
t hought how he w ould becom e rich, and have beaut iful w om en at his
side as he grew older.

But , as t im e passed, Tangier had changed. The nearby cit y of Ceut a

had grown fast er t han Tangier, and business had fallen off. Neighbors
m oved away, and t here rem ained only a few sm all shops on t he hill.
And no one was going t o clim b t he hill j ust t o browse t hrough a few
sm all shops.

But t he cryst al m erchant had no choice. He had lived t hirt y years of

his life buy ing and selling cr y st al pieces, and now it w as t oo lat e t o do
anyt hing else.

He spent t he ent ire m orning observing t he infrequent com ings and

goings in t he st reet . He had done t his for years, and knew t he
schedule of everyone w ho passed. But , j ust befor e luncht im e, a boy
st opped in front of t he shop. He w as dressed norm ally, but t he
pr act iced eyes of t he cr yst al m er chant could see t hat t he boy had no
m oney t o spend. Nevert heless, t he m erchant decided t o delay his
lunch for a few m inut es unt il t he boy m oved on.

~~~~~~~~~

A card hanging in t he doorway announced t hat several languages were

spoken in t he shop. The boy saw a m an appear behind t he count er.

" I can clean up t hose glasses in t he window, if you want ," said t he
boy. " The w ay t hey look now , nobody is going t o w ant t o buy t hem ."

The m an looked at him wit hout responding.

" I n exchange, you could give m e som et hing t o eat ."

The m an st ill said not hing, and t he boy sensed t hat he was going t o
have t o m ake a decision. I n his pouch, he had his j acket - he cert ainly
wasn't going t o need it in t he desert . Taking t he j acket out , he began
t o clean t he glasses. I n half an hour , he had cleaned all t he glasses in
t he window, and, as he was doing so, t wo cust om ers had ent ered t he
sho p and bought som e cryst al.

When he had com plet ed t he cleaning, he asked t he m an for som et hing

t o eat . " Let 's go and have som e lunch," said t he cryst al m erchant .

He put a sign on t he door , and t hey w ent t o a sm all cafe near by. As
t hey sat down at t he only t able in t he place, t he cryst al m erchant
laughed.

"You didn't have t o do any cleaning," he said. "The Koran requires m e

t o feed a hungry person."

" Well t hen, why did you let m e do it ?" t he boy asked.

" Because t he cryst al w as dirt y. And bot h you and I needed t o cleanse
our m inds of negat ive t hought s."

When t hey had eat en, t he m erchant t urned t o t he boy and said, " I 'd
like you t o work in m y shop. Two cust om ers cam e in t oday while you
were working, and t hat 's a good om en.

People t alk a lot about om ens, thought t he shepherd. But t hey really
don't know w hat t hey're saying. Just as I hadn't realized t hat for so
m any years I had been speaking a language wit hout words t o m y
sheep.

" Do you want t o go t o work for m e?" t he m erchant asked.

"I can work for t he re st of t oday," t he boy answ er ed. " I 'll w or k all
night , unt il dawn, and I 'll clean every piece of cryst al in your shop. I n
ret urn, I need m oney t o get t o Egypt t om orrow."

The m erchant laughed. " Even if you cleaned m y cryst al for an ent ire
year... even if yo u earned a good com m ission selling every piece, you
would st ill have t o borrow m oney t o get t o Egypt . There are t housands
of kilom et ers of desert bet ween here and t here."

There was a m om ent of silence so profound t hat it seem ed t he cit y

w as asleep. No sound from t he bazaars, no argum ent s am ong t he
m er chant s, no m en clim bing t o t he t ow er s t o chant . No hope, no
advent ure, no old kings or Personal Legends, no t reasure, and no
Pyram ids. I t was as if t he world had fallen silent because t he boy's
soul had. He sa t t here, st aring blankly t hrough t he door of t he cafe,
wishing t hat he had died, and t hat everyt hing would end forever at
t hat m om ent .

The m erchant looked anxiously at t he boy. All t he j oy he had seen t hat

m orning had suddenly disappeared.

" I can give you t he m oney you need t o get back t o your count ry, m y
son," said t he cr yst al m er chant .

The boy said not hing. He got up, adj ust ed his clot hing, and picked up
his pouch.

" I 'll work for you," he said.

And aft er anot her long silence, he added, " I need m oney t o buy som e
sheep."
 Part Two

The boy had been w orking for t he cryst al m erchant for alm ost a
m ont h, and he could see t hat it wasn't exact ly t he kind of j ob t hat
would m ake him happy. The m erchant spent t he ent ire day m um bling
behind t he count er, t elling t he boy t o be careful wit h t he pieces and
not t o break anyt hing.

But he st ayed wit h t he j ob because t he m erchant , alt hough he was an

old grouch, t reat ed him fairly; t he boy received a good com m ission for
each piece he sold, and had already been able t o put som e m oney
aside. That m orning he had done som e calculat ing: if he cont inued t o
w ork every day as he had been, he w ould need a w hole year t o be
able t o buy som e sheep.

"I 'd like t o build a display case for t he cryst al," t he boy sai d t o t he
m erchant . " We could place it out side, and at t ract t hose people who
pass at t he bot t om of t he hill."

" I 've never had one before," t he m erchant answered. " People will pass
by and bum p int o it , and pieces will be broken."

" Well, w hen I t ook m y sheep t hrough t he fields som e of t hem m ight
have died if w e had com e upon a snake. But t hat 's t he w ay life is w it h
sheep and wit h shepherds."

The m erchant t urned t o a cust om er who want ed t hree cryst al glasses.

He was selling bet t er t han ever ... as if t im e ha d t urned back t o t he old
days when t he st reet had been one of Tangier's m aj or at t ract ions.

" Business has r eally im pr oved," he said t o t he boy, aft er t he cust om er

had left . " I 'm doing m uch bet t er, and soon you'll be able t o ret urn t o
your sheep. Why ask m o re out of life?"

" Because w e have t o respond t o om ens," t he boy said, alm ost w it hout
m eaning t o; t hen he r egr et t ed w hat he had said, because t he
m erchant had never m et t he king.

" I t 's called t he principle of favorabilit y, beginner's luck. Because life

w ant s you t o achieve your Personal Legend," t he old king had said.
But t he m erchant underst ood what t he boy had said. The boy's very
presence in t he shop was an om en, and, as t im e passed and m oney
w as pour ing int o t he cash dr aw er , he had no r egr et s about having
hired t he boy. The boy was being paid m ore m oney t han he deserved,
because t he m erchant , t hinking t hat sales wouldn't am ount t o m uch,
had offered t he boy a high com m ission rat e. He had assum ed he would
soon ret urn t o his sheep.

" Why did y ou w ant t o get t o t he Pyram ids?" he asked, t o get away
from t he business of t he display.

" Because I 've always heard about t hem ," t he boy answered, saying
not hing about his dream . The t reasure was now not hing but a painful
m em ory, and he t ried t o avoid t hinking about it .

" I don't know anyone around here w ho w ould w ant t o cross t he desert
j ust t o see t he Pyram ids," said t he m erchant . " They're j ust a pile of
st ones. You could build one in your backyard."

" You've never had dream s of t ravel," said t he boy, t urning t o wait on a
cust om er who had ent ered t he shop.

Two days lat er, t he m erchant spoke t o t he boy about t he display.

" I don't m uch like change," he said. " You and I aren't like Hassan, t hat
rich m erchant . I f he m akes a buying m ist ake, it doesn't affect him
m uch. But we t wo have t o live wit h our m ist akes."

That 's t rue enough, t he boy t hought , ruefully.

" Why did you t hink we should have t he display?"

" I want t o get back t o m y sheep fast er. We have t o t ake advant age
when luck is on our side, and do as m uch t o hel p it as it 's doing t o help
us. I t 's called t he principle of favorabilit y. Or beginner's luck."

The m erchant was silent for a few m om ent s. Then he said, " The
Pr ophet gav e us t he Kor an, and left us j ust fiv e obligat ions t o sat isfy
during our lives. The m ost im port ant is t o believe only in t he one t rue
God. The ot hers are t o pray five t im es a day, fast during Ram adan,
and be charit able t o t he poor."
He st opped t here. His eyes filled wit h t ears as he spoke of t he Prophet .
He w as a devout m an, and, even w it h all his im pat ience, he w ant ed t o
live his life in accordance wit h Muslim law.

" What 's t he fift h obligat ion?" t he boy asked.

" Two days ago, you said t hat I had never dream ed of t ravel," t he
m erchant answered. " The fift h obligat ion of every Muslim is a
pilg rim age. We are obliged, at least once in our lives, t o visit t he holy
cit y of Mecca.

" Mecca is a lot fart her aw ay t han t he Pyram ids. When I w as young, all
I want ed t o do was put t oget her enough m oney t o st art t his shop. I
t hought t hat som eday I 'd be rich, and could go t o Mecca. I began t o
m ake som e m oney, but I could never bring m yself t o leave som eone in
char ge of t he shop; t he cr yst als ar e delicat e t hings. At t he sam e t im e,
people were passing m y shop all t he t im e, heading for Mecca. Som e of
t hem were rich pilgrim s, t raveling in caravans wit h servant s and
cam els, but m ost of t he people m aking t he pilgrim age were poorer
t han I .

" All who went t here were happy at having done so. They placed t he
sym bols of t he pilgrim age on t he doors of t heir houses. One of t hem , a
cobbler who m ade his living m ending boot s, said t hat he had t raveled
for alm ost a year t hrough t he desert , but t hat he got m ore t ired w hen
he had t o walk t hrough t he st reet s of Tangier buying his leat her."

" Well, why don't you go t o Mecca now?" asked t he boy.

" Because it 's t he t hought of Mecca t hat k eeps m e aliv e. That 's w hat
helps m e face t hese days t hat are all t he sam e, t hese m ut e cryst als on
t he shelves, and lunch and dinner at t hat sam e horrible cafe. I 'm
afraid t hat if m y dream is realized, I 'll have no reason t o go on living.

" You dream about your sheep and t he Pyram ids, but you're different
from m e, because you w ant t o realize your dream s. I j ust w ant t o
dream about Mecca. I 've already im agined a t housand t im es crossing
t he desert , arriving at t he Plaza of t he Sacr ed St one, t he seven t im es I
walk around it before allowing m yself t o t ouch it . I 've already im agined
t he people who would be at m y side, and t hose in front of m e, and t he
conversat ions and prayers we would share. But I 'm afraid t hat it would
all be a disappoint m ent , so I prefer j ust t o dream about it ."
That day, t he m erchant gave t he boy perm ission t o build t he display.
Not everyone can see his dream s com e t rue in t he sam e way.

~~~~~~~~~

Two m ore m ont hs passed, and t he shelf bro ught m any cust om ers int o
t he cryst al shop. The boy est im at ed t hat , if he worked for six m ore
m ont hs, he could ret urn t o Spain and buy sixt y sheep, and yet anot her
sixt y. I n less t han a year, he would have doubled his flock, and he
w ould be able t o do business w it h t he Ar abs, because he w as now able
t o speak t heir st range language. Since t hat m orning in t he
m arket place, he had never again m ade use of Urim and Thum m im ,
because Egypt was now j ust as dist ant a dream for him as was Mecca
for t he m erchant . Anyw ay, t he boy had becom e happy in his work, and
t hought all t he t im e about t he day w hen he w ould disem bar k at Tar ifa
as a winner.

" You m ust always know what it is t hat you want ," t he old king had
said. The boy knew, and was now working t oward it . Maybe it was his
t reasure t o have w ound up in t hat st range land, m et up w it h a t hief,
and doubled t he size of his flock wit hout spending a cent .

He w as proud of him self. He had learned som e im port ant t hings, like
how t o deal in cr yst al, and about t he language w it hout w ords . . . and
about om ens. One aft ernoon he had seen a m an at t he t op of t he hill,
com plaining t hat it was im possible t o find a decent place t o get
som et hing t o drink aft er such a clim b. The boy, accust om ed t o
recognizing/ ing om ens, spoke t o t he m erchant .

" Let 's sell t ea t o t he people who clim b t he hill."

" Lot s of places sell t ea around here," t he m erchant said.

" But we could sell t ea in cryst al glasses. The people will enj oy t he t ea
and w ant t o buy t he glasses. I have been t old t hat beaut y is t he gr eat
seducer of m en."

The m erchant didn't respond, but t hat aft ernoon, aft er saying his
prayers and closing t he shop, he invit ed t he boy t o sit wit h him and
share his hookah, t hat st range pipe used by t he Arabs.

" What is it you're looking for?" asked t he old m erchant .

" I 've already t old you. I need t o buy m y sheep back, so I have t o earn
t he m oney t o do so."

The m erchant put som e new coals in t he hookah, and inhaled deeply.

" I 've had t his shop for t hirt y years. I know good cryst al from bad, and
ev er y t hing else t here is t o know about cryst al. I know it s dim ensions
and how it behav es. I f w e ser v e t ea in cr y st al, t he shop is going t o
expand. And t hen I 'll have t o change m y way of life."

" Well, isn't t hat good?"

" I 'm already used t o t he way t hings are. Before you cam e, I was
t hinking about how m uch t im e I had w ast ed in t he sam e place, w hile
m y friends had m oved on, and eit her went bankrupt or did bet t er t han
t hey had before. I t m ade m e very depressed. Now, I can see t hat it
hasn't been t oo bad. The shop is exact ly t he size I alw ays w ant ed it t o
be. I don't want t o change anyt hing, because I don't know how t o deal
wit h change. I 'm used t o t he way I am ."

The boy didn't know what t o say. The old m an cont inued, " You have
been a real blessing t o m e. Today, I underst and som et hing I didn't see
before: every blessing ignored becom es a curse. I don't want anyt hing
else in life. But you are forcing m e t o look at wealt h and at horizons I
have never known. Now t hat I have seen t hem , and now t hat I see
how im m ense m y possibilit ies are, I 'm going t o feel worse t han I did
before you arrived. Because I know t he t hings I should be able t o
accom plish, and I don't want t o do so."

I t 's good I refrained from saying anyt hing t o t he baker in Tarifa,

t hought t he boy t o him self.

The y went on sm oking t he pipe for a while as t he sun began t o set .

They were conversing in Arabic, and t he boy was proud of him self for
being able t o do so. There had been a t im e when he t hought t hat his
sheep could t each him everyt hing he needed t o know about t he world.
But t hey could never have t aught him Arabic.

There are probably ot her t hings in t he w orld t hat t he sheep can't t each
m e, t hought t he boy as he regarded t he old m erchant . All t hey ever
do, really, is look for food and wat er. And m aybe it wasn't t hat t hey
were t eaching m e, but t hat I was learning from t hem .

" Makt ub," t he m erchant said, finally.

" What does t hat m ean?"

" You would have t o have been born an Arab t o underst and," he
answ er ed. " But in your language it w ould be som et hing like 'I t is
writ t en.'"

And, as he sm ot hered t he coals in t he hookah, he t old t he boy t hat he

could begin t o sell t ea in t he cr y st al glasses. Som et im es, t her e's j ust
no way t o hold back t he river.

~~~~~~~~~

The m en clim bed t he hill, and t hey w er e t ir ed w hen t hey r eached t he

t op. But t here t hey saw a cryst al shop t hat offered refreshing m int t ea.
They went in t o drink t he t ea, which was served in beaut iful cryst al
glasses.

" My w ife never t hought of t his," said one, and he bought som e cryst al
- he was ent ert aining gue st s t hat night , and t he guest s would be
im pr essed by t he beaut y of t he glassw ar e. The ot her m an r em ar ked
t hat t ea was always m ore delicious when it was served in cryst al,
because t he arom a was ret ained. The t hird said t hat it was a t radit ion
in t he Or ient t o use cryst al glasses for t ea because it had m agical
pow er s.

Before long, t he news spread, and a great m any people began t o clim b
t he hill t o see t he shop t hat w as doing som et hing new in a t rade t hat
was so old. Ot her shops were opened t hat served t ea in cryst al, but
t hey weren't at t he t op of a hill, and t hey had lit t le business.

Event ually, t he m erchant had t o hire t w o m ore em ployees. He began

t o im port enorm ous quant it ies of t ea, along wit h his cryst al, and his
shop was sought out by m en and wom en wit h a t hirst for t hings new.

And, in t hat way, t he m ont hs passed.

~~~~~~~~~

The boy awoke before dawn. I t had been eleven m ont hs and nine days
since he had first set foot on t he African cont inent .

He dr essed in his Ar abian clot hing of w hit e linen, bought especially for
t his day. He put his headclot h in place and secured it wit h a ring m ade
of cam el skin. Wearing his new sandals, he descended t he st airs
silent ly.

The cit y was st ill sleeping. He prepared him self a sandwich and drank
som e hot t ea from a cry st al glass. Then he sat in t he sun- filled
doorway, sm oking t he hookah.

He sm oked in silence, t hinking of not hing, and list ening t o t he sound

of t he w ind t hat brought t he scent of t he desert . When he had finished
his sm oke, he reached int o one of his pocket s, and sat t her e for a few
m om ent s, regarding what he had wit hdrawn.

I t w as a bundle of m oney. Enough t o buy him self a hundr ed and

t went y sheep, a ret urn t icket , and a license t o im port product s from
Africa int o his own count ry.

He wait ed pat ient ly for t he m er chant t o aw aken and open t he shop.

Then t he t wo went off t o have som e m ore t ea.

" I 'm leaving t oday," said t he boy. " I have t he m oney I need t o buy m y
sheep. And you have t he m oney you need t o go t o Mecca."

The old m an said not hing.

" Will you give m e your blessing?" asked t he boy. "You have helped
m e." The m an cont inued t o prepare his t ea, saying not hing. Then he
t urned t o t he boy.

" I am proud of you," he said. " You brought a new feeling int o m y
cryst al shop. But you know t hat I 'm not going t o go t o Mecca. Just as
you know t hat you're not going t o buy your sheep."

" Who t old you t hat ?" asked t he boy, st art led.

" Makt ub," said t he old cryst al m erchant .

And he gave t he boy his blessing.

~~~~~~~~~
The boy w ent t o his room and packed his belongings. They filled t hr ee
sacks. As he was leaving, he saw, in t he corner of t he room , his old
shepherd's pouch. I t was bunched up, and he had hardly t hought of it
for a long t im e. As he t ook his j acket out of t he pouch, t hinking t o give
it t o som eone in t he st reet , t he t wo st ones fell t o t he floor. Urim and
Thum m im .

I t m ade t he boy t hink of t he old king, and it st ar t led him t o r ealize

how long it had been since he had t hought of him .

For nearly a year, he had been working incessant ly, t hinking only of
put t i ng aside enough m oney so t hat he could ret urn t o Spain wit h
pr ide.

" Never st op dream ing," t he old king had said. " Follow t he om ens."

The boy picked up Urim and Thum m im , and, once again, had t he
st range sensat ion t hat t he old king was nearby. He had worke d hard
for a year, and t he om ens were t hat it was t im e t o go.

I 'm going t o go back t o doing j ust w hat I did before, t he boy t hought .
Even t hough t he sheep didn't t each m e t o speak Arabic.

But t he sheep had t aught him som et hing even m ore im port ant : t hat
t here was a language in t he world t hat everyone underst ood, a
language t he boy had used t hroughout t he t im e t hat he was t rying t o
im prove t hings at t he shop. I t w as t he language of ent husiasm , of
t hings accom plished wit h love and purpose, and as part of a search for
som et hing believed in and desired. Tangier w as no longer a st range
cit y, and he felt t hat , j ust as he had conquered t his place, he could
conquer t he world.

" When you want som et hing, all t he universe conspires t o help you
achiev e it ," t he old k ing had said.

But t he old king hadn't said anyt hing about being robbed, or about
endless desert s, or about people who know what t heir dream s are but
don't want t o realize t hem . The old king hadn't t old him t hat t he
Pyram ids w ere j ust a pile of st ones, or t hat anyone could build one in
his backyard. And he had forgot t en t o m ent ion t hat , w hen you have
enough m oney t o buy a flock larger t han t he one you had before, you
should buy it .
The boy picked up his pouch and put it wit h his ot her t hings. He went
dow n t he st airs and found t he m erchant wait ing on a foreign couple,
w hile t w o ot her cust om ers w alked about t he shop, drinking t ea from
cryst al glasses. I t was m ore act ivit y t han usual for t his t im e of t he
m or ning. Fr om w her e he st ood, he saw for t he fir st t im e t hat t he old
m erchant s hair was very m uch like t he hair of t he old king. He
rem em bered t he sm ile of t he candy seller, on his first day in Tangier,
w hen he had not hing t o eat and now her e t o go- t hat sm ile had also
been like t he old king's sm ile.

I t 's alm ost as if he had been here and left his m ark, he t hought . And
yet , none 'of t hese people has ever m et t he old king. On t he ot her
hand, he said t hat he alw ays appear ed t o help t hose w ho ar e t r ying t o
realize t heir Personal Legend.

He left wit hout saying good-bye t o t he cryst al m erchant . He didn't

want t o cry wit h t he ot her people t here. He was going t o m iss t he
place and all t he good t hings he had learned. He was m ore confident in
him self, t hough, and felt as t hough he could conquer t he world.

" But I 'm going back t o t he fields t hat I know, t o t ake care of m y flock
again." He said t hat t o him self w it h cert aint y, but he w as no longer
happy w it h his decision. He had w orked for an ent ire year t o m ake a
dream com e t rue, and t hat dream , m inut e by m inut e, was becom ing
less im port ant . Maybe because t hat wasn't really his dream .

Who knows... m aybe it 's bet t er t o be like t he cryst al m erchant : never

go t o Mecca, and j ust go t hrough life w ant ing t o do so, he t hought ,
again t rying t o convince him self. But as he held Urim and Thum m im in
his hand, t hey had t ransm it t ed t o him t he st rengt h and will of t he old
king. By coincidence - or m aybe it was an om en, t he boy t hought - he
cam e t o t he bar he had ent ered on his first day t here. The t hief wasn't
t her e, and t he ow ner br ought hi m a cup of tea.

I can always go back t o being a shepherd, t he boy t hought . I learned

how t o care for sheep, and I haven't forgot t en how t hat 's done. But
m aybe I 'll never have anot her chance t o get t o t he Pyram ids in Egypt .
The old m an w or e a br east plat e of gold, and he knew about m y past .
He really was a king, a wise king.
The hills of Andalusia were only t wo hours away, but t here was an
ent ire desert bet ween him and t he Pyram ids. Yet t he boy felt t hat
t here was anot her way t o regard his sit uat ion: he was act ually t wo
hours closer t o his t reasure... t he fact t hat t he t wo hours had
st ret ched int o an ent ire year didn't m at t er.

I know why I want t o get back t o m y flock, he t hought . I underst and

sheep; t hey're no longer a problem , and t hey can be good fri ends. On
t he ot her hand, I don't know if t he deser t can be a fr iend, and it 's in
t he desert t hat I have t o search for m y t reasure. I f I don't find it , I can
alw ays go hom e. I finally have enough m oney, and all t he t im e I need.
Why not ?

He suddenly felt t rem endously happy. He could always go back t o

being a shepherd. He could always becom e a cryst al salesm an again.
Maybe t he world had ot her hidden t reasures, but he had a dream , and
he had m et wit h a king. That doesn't happen t o j ust anyone!

He was planning as he left t he bar. He had rem em bered t hat one of

t he cr yst al m er chant s supplier s t r anspor t ed his cr yst al by m eans of
caravans t hat crossed t he desert . He held Urim and Thum m im in his
hand; because of t hose t w o st ones, he w as once again on t he w ay t o
h is t reasure.

" I am alw ays near by, w hen som eone w ant s t o r ealize t heir Per sonal
Legend," t he old king had t old him .

What could it cost t o go over t o t he supplier's warehouse and find out

if t he Pyram ids were really t hat far away?

~~~~~~~~~

The Englishm an w as sit t ing on a bench in a st r uct ur e t hat sm elled of

anim als, sweat , and dust ; it was part warehouse, part corral. I never
t hought I 'd end up in a place like t his, he t hought , as he leafed
t hr ough t he pages of a chem ical j our nal. Ten y ear s at t he univ er sity,
and here I am in a corral.

But he had t o m ove on. He believed in om ens. All his life and all his
st udies were aim ed at finding t he one t rue language of t he universe.
Fir st he had st udied Esper ant o, t hen t he w or ld's r eligions, and now it
w as alchem y . He knew how t o speak Esperant o, he underst ood all t he
m aj or religions well, but he wasn't yet an alchem ist . He had unraveled
t he t rut hs behind im port ant quest ions, but his st udies had t aken him
t o a point bey ond w hich he could not seem t o go. He had t r ied in vain
t o est ablish a relat ionship wit h an alchem ist . But t he alchem ist s were
st range people, who t hought only about t hem selves, and alm ost
always refused t o help him . Who knows, m aybe t hey had failed t o
discov er t he secr et of t he Mast er Wor k - t he Philosopher's St one - and
for t his reason kept t heir knowledge t o t hem selves.

He had already spent m uch of t he fort une left t o him by his fat her,
fruit lessly seeking t he Philosopher's St one. He had spent enorm ous
am ount s of t im e at t he gr eat libr ar ies of t he w orld, and had purchased
all t he rarest and m ost im port ant volum es on alchem y. I n one he had
read t hat , m any years ago, a fam ous Arabian alchem ist had visit ed
Europe. I t was said t hat he was m ore t han t wo hundred years old, and
t hat he had discovered t he Phil osopher's St one and t he Elixir of Life.
The Englishm an had been profoundly im pressed by t he st ory. But he
would never have t hought it m ore t han j ust a m yt h, had not a friend of
his - ret urning from an archaeological expedit ion in t he desert - t old
him about an Arab t hat was possessed of except ional powers.

" He lives at t he Al- Fayoum oasis," his friend had said. " And people say
t hat he is t w o hundr ed y ear s old, and is able t o t r ansfor m any m et al
int o gold."

The Englishm an could not cont ain his excit em ent . He canceled all his
com m it m ent s and pulled t oget her t he m ost im port ant of his books,
and now here he was, sit t ing inside a dust y, sm elly warehouse.
Out side, a huge caravan was being prepared for a crossing of t he
Sahara, and was scheduled t o pass t hrough Al - Fayoum .

I 'm going t o find t hat dam ned alchem ist , t he Englishm an t hought . And
t he odor of t he anim als becam e a bit m ore t olerable.

A young Arab, also loaded down wit h baggage, ent ered, and greet ed
t he Englishm an.

" Where are you bound?" asked t he young Arab.

" I 'm going int o t he desert ," t he m an answered, t urning back t o his
reading. He didn't want any conversat ion at t his point . What he
needed t o do was review all he had learned over t he years, because
t he alchem ist w ould cer t ainly put him t o t he t est .

The young Arab t ook out a book and began t o read. The book was
writ t en in Spanish. That 's good, t hought t he Englishm an. He spoke
Spanish bet t er t han Arabic, and, if t his boy was going t o Al- Fayoum ,
t her e w ould be som eone t o t alk t o w hen t her e w er e no ot he r
im port ant t hings t o do.

~~~~~~~~~

" That 's st range," said t he boy, as he t ried once again t o read t he burial
scene t hat began t he book. " I 've been t r ying for t w o year s t o r ead t his
book, and I never get past t hese fir st few pages." Even w it hout a king
t o provide an int errupt ion, he was unable t o concent rat e.

He st ill had som e doubt s about t he decision he had m ade. But he was
able t o underst and one t hing: m aking a decision w as only t he
beginning of t hings. When som eone m akes a decision, he is really
divi ng int o a st rong current t hat will carry him t o places he had never
dream ed of when he first m ade t he decision.

When I decided t o seek out m y t reasure, I never im agined t hat I 'd

w ind up w orking in a cryst al shop, he t hought . And j oining t his
caravan m ay have been m y decision, but where it goes is going t o be
a m yst ery t o m e.

Nearby was t he Englishm an, reading a book. He seem ed unfriendly,

and had looked irrit at ed when t he boy had ent ered. They m ight even
have becom e friends, but t he Englishm an closed off t he conversat ion.

The boy closed his book. He felt t hat he didn't w ant t o do anyt hing
t hat m ight m ake him look like t he Englishm an. He t ook Urim and
Thum m im from his pocket , and began playing wit h t hem .

The st ranger shout ed, " Urim and Thum m im ! "

I n a flash t he boy put t hem back in his pocket .

"They're not for sale," he said.

" They're not wort h m uch," t he Englishm an answered. " They're only
m ade of rock cryst al, and t here are m illions of rock cryst als in t he
eart h. But t hose who know about such t hings wou ld know t hat t hose
are Urim and Thum m im . I didn't know t hat t hey had t hem in t his part
of t he w or ld. "

" They were given t o m e as a present by a king," t he boy said.

The st ranger didn't answer; inst ead, he put his hand in his pocket , and
t ook out t wo st ones t hat were t he sam e as t he boy's.

" Did you say a king?" he asked.

" I guess you don't believe t hat a king would t alk t o som eone like m e, a
shepherd," he said, want ing t o end t he conversat ion.

" Not at all. I t w as shepher ds w ho w er e t he fir st t o r ecognize a king

t hat t he rest of t he world refused t o acknowledge. So, it 's not
surprising t hat kings would t alk t o shepherds."

And he went on, fearing t hat t he boy wouldn't underst and what he was
t alking about , " I t 's in t he Bible. The sam e book t hat t aught m e about
Urim and Thum m im . These st ones w ere t he only form of divinat ion
perm it t ed by God. The priest s carried t hem in a golden breast plat e."

The boy was suddenly happy t o be t here at t he warehouse.

" Maybe t his is an om en," said t he Englishm an, half aloud.

"Who t old you about om ens?" The boy's int erest w as increasing by t he
m om ent .

" Everyt hing in life is an om en," said t he Englishm an, now closing t he
j ournal he was reading. "There is a universal language, underst ood by
everybody, but already forgot t en. I am in search of t hat universal
language, am ong ot her t hings. That 's why I 'm here. I have t o find a
m an who knows t hat universal language. An alchem ist ."

The conversat ion was int errupt ed by t he warehouse boss.

" You'r e in luck , y ou t w o," t he fat Ar ab said. " There's a caravan leaving
t oday for Al - Fayoum ."

" But I 'm going t o Egypt ," t he boy said.

"Al- Fayoum is in Egypt ," said t he Arab. " What kind of Arab are you?"

" That 's a good luck om en," t he Englishm an said, aft er t he fat Arab had
gone out . " I f I could, I 'd writ e a huge encyclopedia j ust about t he
w or ds luck and coincidence. I t 's w it h t hose w or ds t hat t he univ er sal
language is writ t en."
He t old t he boy it was no coincidence t hat he had m et him wit h Urim
and Thum m im in his hand. And he asked t he boy if he, too, were in
search of t he alchem ist .

" I 'm looking for a t reasure," said t he boy, and he im m ediat ely
regret t ed having said it . But t he Englishm an appeared not t o at t ach
any im por t ance t o it .

" I n a way, so am I ," he said.

" I don't ev en k now w hat alchem y is," t he boy was saying, when t he
warehouse boss called t o t hem t o com e out side.

~~~~~~~~~

" I 'm t he leader of t he caravan," said a dark- eyed, bearded m an. " I
hold t he power of life and deat h for every person I t ake wit h m e. The
desert is a capricious lady, and som et im es she drives m en crazy."

There were alm ost t wo hundred people gat hered t here, and four
hundred anim als- cam els, horses, m ules, and fowl. I n t he crowd were
wom en, children, and a num ber of m en wit h swords at t heir belt s and
r ifles slung on t heir shoulders. The Englishm an had several suit cases
filled w it h books. Ther e w as a babble of noise, and t he leader had t o
repeat him self several t im es for everyone t o underst and what he was
saying.

" There are a lot of different people here, and each has his own God.
But t he only God I serve is Allah, and in his nam e I swear t hat I will do
everyt hing possible once again t o win out over t he desert . But I want
each and every one of you t o swear by t he God you believe in t hat you
w ill follow m y or der s no m at t er w hat . I n t he deser t , disobedience
m eans deat h."

There was a m urm ur from t he crowd. Each was swearing quiet ly t o his
or her ow n God. The boy sw ore t o Jesus Christ . The Englishm an said
not hing. And t he m urm ur last ed longer t han a sim ple vow would have.
The people were also praying t o heaven for prot ect ion.

A long not e w as sounded on a bugle, and everyone m ount ed up. The

boy and t he Englishm an had bought cam els, and clim bed uncert ainly
ont o t heir backs. The boy felt sorry for t he Englishm an's cam el, loaded
down as he was wit h t he cases of books.
" There's no such t hing as coincidence," said t he Englishm an, picking
up t he conversat ion where it had been int errupt ed in t he warehouse.
" I 'm here because a friend of m ine heard of an Arab who..."

But t he car av an began t o m ove, and it was im possible t o hear what

t he Englishm an was saying. The boy knew what he was about t o
describe, t hough: t he m yst erious chain t hat links one t hing t o anot her,
t he sam e chain t hat had caused him t o becom e a shepher d, t hat had
caused his recurring dream , t hat had brought him t o a cit y near Africa,
t o find a king, and t o be r obbed in or der t o m eet a cr yst al m er chant ,
and...

The closer one get s t o realizing his Personal Legend, t he m ore t hat
Personal Legend becom es his t rue reason for be ing, t hought t he boy.

The caravan m oved t oward t he east . I t t raveled during t he m orning,

halt ed w hen t he sun w as at it s st r ongest , and r esum ed lat e in t he
aft ernoon. The boy spoke very lit t le wit h t he Englishm an, who spent
m ost of his t im e w it h his books.

The boy obser ved in silence t he pr ogr ess of t he anim als and people
across t he desert . Now everyt hing was quit e different from how it was
t hat day t hey had set out : t hen, t here had been confusion and
shout ing, t he cr ies of childr en and t he w hinny ing of anim als, all m ixed
wit h t he nervous orders of t he guides and t he m erchant s.

But , in t he desert , t here w as only t he sound of t he et ernal w ind, and

of t he hoofbeat s of t he anim als. Even t he guides spoke very lit t le t o
one anot her.

" I 'v e cr ossed t hese sands many t im es," said one of t he cam el dr iver s
one night . " But t he desert is so huge, and t he horizons so dist ant , t hat
t hey m ake a person feel sm all, and as if he should rem ain silent ."

The boy underst ood int uit ively what he m eant , even wit hout ever
having se t foot in t he desert before. Whenever he saw t he sea, or a
fire, he fell silent , im pressed by t heir elem ent al force.

I 've learned t hings from t he sheep, and I 've learned t hings from
cryst al, he t hought . I can learn som et hing from t he desert , t oo. I t
seem s old and wise.

The w ind never st opped, and t he boy r em em ber ed t he day he had sat
at t he fort in Tarifa wit h t his sam e wind blowing in his face. I t
rem inded him of t he wool from his sheep... his sheep who were now
seeking food and-wat er in t he fields of Andalusia, as t hey alw ay s had.

" They're not m y sheep anym ore," he said t o him self, wit hout nost algia.
" They m ust be used t o t heir new shepherd, and have probably already
forgot t en m e. That 's good.

Creat ures like t he sheep, t hat are used t o t raveling, know about
m oving on."

He t hought of t he m erchant 's daught er, and was sure t hat she had
probably m arried. Perhaps t o a baker, or t o anot her shepherd who
could read and could t ell her excit ing st ories - aft er all, he probably
wasn't t he only one. But he was excit ed at his int uit ive underst anding
of t he cam el drivers com m ent : m aybe he was also learning t he
universal language t hat deals w it h t he past and t he present of all
people. " Hunches," his m ot her used t o call t hem . The boy was
beginning t o under st and t hat int uit ion is r eally a sudden im m er sion of
t he soul int o t he universal current of life, w here t he hist ories of all
people are connect ed, and we are able t o know everyt hing, because
it 's all writ t en t here.

" Makt ub," t he boy said, rem em bering t he cryst al m erch an t .

The desert was all sand in som e st ret ches, and rocky in ot hers. When
t he caravan was blocked by a boulder, it had t o go around it ; if t here
was a large rocky area, t hey had t o m ake a m aj or det our. I f t he sand
was t oo fine for t he anim als' hooves, t he y sought a way where t he
sand was m ore subst ant ial. I n som e places, t he ground was covered
w it h t he salt of dr ied-up lakes. The anim als balked at such places, and
t he cam el drivers were forced t o dism ount and unburden t heir
charges. The drivers carried t he freight t hem selves over such
t reacherous foot ing, and t hen reloaded t he cam els. I f a guide were t o
fall ill or die, t he cam el drivers would draw lot s and appoint a new one.

But all t his happened for one basic reason: no m at t er how m any
det ours and adj ust m ent s it m ade, t he caravan m oved t oward t he sam e
com pass point . Once obst acles were overcom e, it ret urned t o it s
course, sight ing on a st ar t hat indicat ed t he locat ion of t he oasis.
When t he people saw t hat st ar shining in t he m orning sky, t hey knew
t h ey were on t he right course t ow ard w at er, palm t rees, shelt er, and
ot her people. I t w as only t he Englishm an w ho w as unaw ar e of all t his;
he was, for t he m ost part , im m ersed in reading his books.
The boy , t oo, had his book , and he had t r ied t o r ead it dur ing t he first
few days of t he j ourney. But he found it m uch m ore int erest ing t o
observe t he caravan and list en t o t he wind. As soon as he had learned
t o know his cam el bet t er, and t o est ablish a relat ionship wit h him , he
t hrew t he book away. Alt hough t he boy had developed a superst it ion
t hat each t im e he opened t he book he would learn som et hing
im port ant , he decided it was an unnecessary burden.

He becam e friendly wit h t he cam el driver who t raveled alongside him .

At night , as t hey sat around t he fire, t he boy relat ed t o t he dr iv er his
advent ures as a shepherd.

During one of t hese conversat ions, t he driver t old of his own life.

" I used t o live near El Cairum ," he said. " I had m y orchard, m y
childr en, and a life t hat w ould change not at all unt il I died. One y ear,
w hen t he crop w as t he best ever, w e all w ent t o Mecca, and I sat isfied
t he only unm et obligat ion in m y life. I could die happily, and t hat m ade
m e feel good.

" One day, t he eart h began t o t rem ble, and t he Nile overflowed it s
banks. I t w as som et hing t hat I t hought could happen only t o ot hers,
never t o m e. My neighbors feared t hey would lose all t heir olive t rees
in t he flood, and m y w ife w as afr aid t hat w e w ould lose our childr en. I
t hought t hat everyt hing I owned would be dest royed.

" The land w as r uined, and I had t o find som e ot her w ay t o ear n a
living. So now I 'm a cam el driver. But t hat disast er t aught m e t o
underst and t he word of Allah: people need not fear t he unknown if
t hey are capable of achieving what t hey need and want .

" We ar e afr aid of losing what we have, whet her it 's our life or our
possessions and propert y. But t his fear evaporat es when we
underst and t hat our life st ories and t he hist ory of t he w orld w ere
writ t en by t he sam e hand."

Som et im es, t heir caravan m et wit h anot her. One always had
som et hing t hat t he ot her needed - as if everyt hing were indeed writ t en
by one hand. As t hey sat around t he fire, t he cam el drivers exchanged
inform at ion about windst orm s, and t old st ories about t he desert .

At ot her t im es, m yst erious, hooded m en would appear; t hey were

Bedouins who did surveillance along t he caravan rout e. They provided
warnings about t hieves and barbarian t ribes. They cam e in silence and
depart ed t he sam e way, dressed in black garm ent s t hat showed only
t heir eyes. One night , a cam el drive r cam e t o t he fire where t he
Englishm an and t he boy were sit t ing. " There are rum ors of t ribal
w ar s," he t old t hem .

The t hr ee fell silent . The boy not ed t hat t her e w as a sense of fear in
t he air, even t hough no one said anyt hing. Once again he was
ex per iencing t he language wit hout words... t he universal language.

The Englishm an asked if t hey were in danger.

" Once you get int o t he desert , t here's no going back," said t he cam el
driver. " And, when you cant go back, you have t o worry only about t he
best w ay of m oving forward. The rest is up t o Allah, including t he
danger."

And he concluded by saying t he m yst erious word: " Makt ub."

" You should pay m ore at t ent ion t o t he caravan," t he boy said t o t he
Englishm an, aft er t he cam el driver had left . " We m ake a lot of det ours,
but we're always heading for t he sam e dest inat ion."

" And you ought t o read m ore about t he world," answered t he

Englishm an. " Books are like caravans in t hat respect ."

The im m ense collect ion of people and anim als began t o t ravel fast er.
The day s had alw ay s been silent , but now , ev en t he night s-when t he
t ravelers w ere accust om ed t o t alking around t he fires - had also
becom e quiet . And, one day, t he leader of t he caravan m ade t he
decision t hat t he fir es should no longer be light ed, so as not t o at t ract
at t ent ion t o t he caravan.

The t ravelers adopt ed t he pract ice of arranging t he anim als in a circle

at night , sleeping t oget her in t he cent er as prot ect ion against t he
noct urnal cold. And t he leader post ed arm ed sent inels at t he fringes of
t he gr oup.

The Englishm an was unable t o sleep one night . He called t o t he boy,

and t hey t ook a walk along t he dunes surrounding t he encam pm ent .
There was a full m oon, and t he boy t old t he Englishm an t he st ory of
his life.

The Englishm an was fascinat ed wit h t he part about t he progress

achieved at t he cryst al shop aft er t he boy began working t here.
" That 's t he principle t hat governs all t hings," he said. " I n alchem y, it 's
called t he Soul of t he Wor ld. When y ou w ant som et hing w it h all y our
heart , t hat 's w hen you are closest t o t he Soul of t he Wor ld. I t 's alw ays
a posit ive force."

He also said t hat t his was not j ust a hum an gift , t hat everyt hing on t he
face of t he ear t h had a soul, w het her m iner al, veget able, or anim al -
or even j ust a sim ple t hought .

" Everyt hing on eart h is being cont inuously t ransform ed, because t he
ear t h is aliv e ... and it has a soul. We ar e par t of t hat soul, so w e
rarely recognize t hat it is working for us. But in t he cryst al shop you
probably realized t hat even t he glasses were collaborat ing in yo ur
success."

The boy t hought about t hat for a while as he looked at t he m oon and
t he bleached sands. " I have w at ched t he car avan as it cr ossed t he
desert ," he said. " The caravan and t he desert speak t he sam e
language, and it 's for t hat r eason t hat t he desert allows t he crossing.
I t 's going t o t est t he caravan's every st ep t o see if it 's in t im e, and, if
it is, we will m ake it t o t he oasis."

" I f eit her of us had j oined t his car avan based only on per sonal
cour age, but w it hout under st anding t hat language, t his j ourney would
have been m uch m ore difficult ."

They st ood t here looking at t he m oon.

" That 's t he m agic of om ens," said t he boy. " I 've seen how t he guides
read t he signs of t he desert , and how t he soul of t he caravan speaks
t o t he soul of t he desert ."

The Englishm an said, " I 'd bet t er pay m ore at t ent ion t o t he caravan."

"And I 'd bet t er read your books," said t he boy.

~~~~~~~~~

They were st range books. They spoke about m ercury, salt , dragons,
and kings, and he didn't underst and any of it . But t here was one idea
t hat seem ed t o r epeat it self t hr oughout all t he books: all t hings ar e
t he m anifest at ion of one t hing only.
I n one of t he books he learned t hat t he m ost im port ant t ext in t he
lit erat ure of alchem y cont ained only a few lines, and had been
inscribe d on t he surface of an em erald.

" I t 's t he Em erald Tablet ," said t he Englishm an, proud t hat he m ight
t each som et hing t o t he boy.

" Well, t hen, why do we need all t hese books?" t he boy asked.

" So t hat we can underst and t hose few lines," t he Englishm an

an swered, wit hout appearing really t o believe what he had said.

The book t hat m ost int erest ed t he boy t old t he st ories of t he fam ous
alchem ist s. They were m en who had dedicat ed t heir ent ire lives t o t he
pur ificat ion of m et als in t heir labor at or ies; t hey believed t hat , if a
m et al were heat ed for m any years, it would free it self of all it s
individual propert ies, and what was left would be t he Soul of t he
World. This Soul of t he World allowed t hem t o underst and anyt hing on
t he face of t he eart h, because it was t he language wit h which all t hings
com m unicat ed. They called t hat discovery t he Mast er Work - it was
part liquid and part solid.

" Can't you j ust observe m en and om ens in order t o underst and t he
language?" t he boy asked.

" You have a m ania for sim plifying everyt hing," answered t he
Englishm an, irrit at ed. " Alchem y is a serious discipline. Every st ep has
t o be followed exact ly as it was followed by t he m ast ers."

The boy learned t hat t he liquid part of t he Mast er Work w as called t he

Elix ir of Life, and t hat it cured all illnesses; it also kept t he alchem ist
from growing old. And t he solid part was called t he Philosopher's
St one.

" I t 's not easy t o find t he Philosophers St one," said t he Englishm an.
" The alchem ist s spent years in t heir laborat ories, observing t he fire
t hat purified t he m et als. They spent so m uch t im e close t o t he fire t hat
gradually t hey gave up t he vanit ies of t he world. They discovered t hat
t he purificat ion of t he m et als had led t o a purificat ion of t hem selves."

The boy t hought about t he cryst al m er chant . He had said t hat it w as a

good t hing for t he boy t o clean t he cryst al pieces, so t hat he could free
him self from negat ive t hought s. The boy was becom ing m ore and
m ore convinced t hat alchem y could be learned in one's daily life.
" Also," said t he Englishm an, " t he Philosophers St one has a fascinat ing
pr oper t y. A sm all sliver of t he st one can t r ansfor m lar ge quant it ies of
m et al int o gold."

Having heard t hat , t he boy becam e even m ore int erest ed in alchem y.
He t hought t hat , wit h som e pat ience, he'd be able t o t r ansfor m
everyt hing int o gold. He read t he lives of t he various people who had
succeeded in doing so: Helvet ius, Elias, Fulcanelli, and Geber. They
were fascinat ing st ories: each of t hem lived out his Personal Legend t o
t he end. They t raveled, spoke wit h wise m en, perform ed m iracles for
t he incredulous, and owned t he Philosopher's St one and t he Elixir of
Life.

But w hen t he boy w ant ed t o lear n how t o achieve t he Mast er Wor k, he

becam e com plet ely lost . There w ere j ust draw ings, coded inst ruct ions,
and obscur e t ex t s.

~~~~~~~~~

" Why do t hey m ake t hings so com plicat ed?" He asked t he Englishm an
one night . The boy had not iced t hat t he Englishm an was irrit able, and
m issed his books.

" So t hat t hose who have t he responsibilit y for underst anding can
underst and," he said. " I m agine if everyone went around t ransform ing
lead int o gold. Gold would lose it s value.

" I t 's only t hose who are persist ent , and willing t o st udy t hings deeply,
who achieve t he Mast er Work. That 's why I 'm here in t he m iddle of t he
desert . I 'm seeking a t rue alchem ist who will help m e t o decipher t he
codes."

" When were t hese books writ t en?" t he boy asked.

" Many cent ur ies ago."

" They didn't have t he print ing press in t hose days," t he boy argued.
" There was no way for everybody t o know about alchem y. Why did
t hey use such st range language, wit h so m any draw ings?"

The Englishm an didn't answer him direct ly. He said t hat for t he past
few days he had been paying at t ent ion t o how t he caravan operat ed,
but t hat he hadn't lear ned anyt hing new . The only t hing he had
not iced was t hat t alk of war was becom ing m ore and m ore frequent .

~~~~~~~~~

Then one day t he boy r et ur ned t he book s t o t he Englishm an. " Did y ou
lear n anyt hing?" t he Englishm an asked, eager t o hear w hat it m ight
be. He needed som eone t o t alk t o so as t o avoid t hinking about t he
possibilit y of war.

" I learned t hat t he world has a soul, and t hat whoever underst ands
t hat soul can also under st and t he language of t hings. I lear ned t hat
m any alchem ist s realized t heir Personal Legends, and wound up
discovering t he Soul of t he World, t he Philosopher's St one, and t he
Elixir of Life.

" But , abov e all, I lear ned t hat t hese t hings ar e all so sim ple t hat t hey
could be writ t en on t he surface of an em erald."

The Englishm an was disappoint ed. The years of research, t he m agic

sy m bols, t he st r ange w or ds and t he labor at or y equipm ent ... none of
t his had m ade an im pression on t he boy. His soul m ust be t oo
prim it ive t o underst and t hose t hings, he t hought .

He t ook back his books and packed t hem away again in t heir bags.

" Go back t o w at ching t he car avan," he said. " That didn't t each m e
any t hing, eit her ."

The boy w ent back t o cont em plat ing t he silence of t he desert , and t he
sand raised by t he anim als. " Everyone has his or her own way of
lear ning t hings," he said t o him self. " His w ay isn't t he sam e as m ine,
nor m ine as his. But we're bot h in search of our Personal Legends, and
I respect him for t hat ."

~~~~~~~~~

The caravan began t o t ravel day and night . The hooded Bedouins
reappeared m ore and m ore frequent ly, and t he cam el driver - who had
becom e a good fr iend of t he boy 's - explained t hat t he w ar bet w een
t he t ribes had already begun. The caravan would be very lucky t o
r each t he oasis.
The anim als were exhaust ed, and t he m en t alked am ong t hem selves
less and less. The silence was t he worst aspect of t he night , when t he
m ere groan of a cam el - w hich befor e had been not hing but t he gr oan
of a cam el - now fright ened everyone, because it m ight signal a raid.

The cam el driver, t hough, seem ed not t o be very concerne d wit h t he

t hreat of war.

" I 'm alive," he said t o t he boy, as t hey at e a bunch of dat es one night ,
wit h no fires and no m oon. " When I 'm eat ing, t hat 's all I t hink about .
I f I 'm on t he m arch, I j ust concent rat e on m arching. I f I have t o fight ,
it will be j ust as good a day t o die as any ot her.

" Because I don't live in eit her m y past or m y fut ure. I 'm int erest ed
only in t he present . I f you can concent rat e alw ays on t he present ,
y ou'll be a happy m an. You'll see t hat t her e is life in t he deser t , t hat
t her e ar e st ar s in t he heavens, and t hat t r ibesm en fight because t hey
are part of t he hum an race. Life will be a part y for you, a grand
fest ival, because life is t he m om ent we're living right now."

Two night s lat er, as he was get t ing ready t o bed down, t he boy looked
for t he st ar t hey followed every night . He t hought t hat t he horizon was
a bit low er t han it had been, because he seem ed t o see st ar s on t he
desert it self.

"I t 's t he oasis," said t he cam el driver.

" Well, why don't we go t here right now?" t he boy asked.

" Because we have t o sleep."

~~~~~~~~~

The boy awoke as t he Sun rose. There, in front of him , where t he

sm all st ars had been t he night before, was an endless row of dat e
palm s, st ret ching across t he ent ire desert .

" We've done it ! " said t he Englishm a n, who had also awakened early.

But t he boy w as quiet . He w as at hom e w it h t he silence of t he deser t ,

and he was cont ent j ust t o look at t he t rees. He st ill had a long way t o
go t o r each t he pyr am ids, and som eday t his m or ning w ould j ust be a
m em or y. But t his was t he present m om ent -t he part y t he cam el driver
had m ent ioned - and he want ed t o live it as he did t he lessons of his
past and his dr eam s of t he fut ur e. Alt hough t he v ision of t he dat e
palm s would som eday be j ust a m em ory, right now it signified shade,
wat er, and a refuge from t he war. Yest erday, t he cam el's groan
signaled danger, and now a row of dat e palm s could herald a m iracle.

The world speaks m any languages, t he boy t hought .

~~~~~~~~~

The t im es rush past , and so do t he caravans, t hought t he al chem ist ,

as he wat ched t he hundreds of people and anim als arriving at t he
oasis. People were shout ing at t he new arrivals, dust obscured t he
desert sun, and t he children of t he oasis were burst ing wit h excit em ent
at t he ar r iv al of t he st r anger s. The alchemist saw t he t r ibal chiefs
greet t he leader of t he caravan, and converse wit h him at lengt h.

But none of t hat m at t ered t o t he alchem ist . He had already seen m any
people com e and go, and t he desert rem ained as it w as. He had seen
kings and beggars w alking t he desert sands. The dunes were changed
const ant ly by t he wind, yet t hese were t he sam e sands he had known
since he was a child. He always enj oyed seeing t he happiness t hat t he
t ravelers experienced when, aft er weeks of yellow sand and blue sky,
t hey fir st saw t he green of t he dat e palm s. Maybe God creat ed t he
desert so t hat m an could appreciat e t he dat e t rees, he t hought .

He decided t o concent rat e on m ore pract ical m at t ers. He knew t hat in

t he caravan t here w as a m an t o w hom he w as t o t each som e of his
secret s. The om ens had t old him so. He didn't know t he m an yet , but
his pract iced eye would recognize him when he appeared. He hoped
t hat it would be som eone as capable as his previous apprent ice.

I don't know why t hese t hings have t o be t ransm it t ed by word of

m out h, he t hought . I t wasn't exact ly t hat t hey were secret s; God
revealed his secret s easily t o all his creat ures.

He had only one explanat ion for t his fact : t hings have t o be
t ransm it t ed t his way because t hey were m ade up from t he pure life,
and t his kind of life cannot be capt ured in pict ures or words.

Because people becom e fascinat ed wit h pict ures and words, and wind
up forget t ing t he Language of t he World.

~~~~~~~~~
The boy couldn't believe what he was seeing: t he oasis, rat her t han
bein g j u st a well surrounded by a few palm t rees - as he had seen
once in a geography book - was m uch larger t han m any t owns back in
Spain. There were t hree hundred wells, fift y t housand dat e t rees, and
innum erable colored t ent s spread am ong t hem .

" I t look s lik e A Thousand and One Night s" said t he Englishm an,
im pat ient t o m eet w it h t he alchem ist .

They were surrounded by children, curious t o look at t he anim als and

people t hat were arriving. The m en of t he oasis want ed t o know if t hey
had seen any fight ing, and t he wom en com pet ed wit h one anot her for
access t o t he clot h and precious st ones brought by t he m erchant s. The
silence of t he desert was a dist ant dream ; t he t ravelers in t he caravan
were t alking incessant ly, laughing and shout ing, as if t hey had
em erged from t he spirit ual w orld and found t hem selves once again in
t he world of people. They were relieved and happy.

They had been t aking careful precaut ions in t he desert , but t he cam el
driver explained t o t he boy t hat oases w ere alw ays considered t o be
neut r al t er r it ories, because t he m aj orit y of t he inhabit ant s were
wom en and children. There were oases t hroughout t he desert , but t he
t ribesm en fought in t he desert , leaving t he oases as places of refuge.

Wit h som e difficult y, t he leader of t he caravan brought all his people

t oget her and gave t hem his inst ruct ions. The group was t o rem ain
t here at t he oasis unt il t he conflict bet w een t he t ribes w as over. Since
t hey were visit ors, t hey would have t o share living space wit h t hose
w ho liv ed t her e, and w ould be giv en t he best accom m odat ions. That
was t he law of hospit alit y. Then he asked t hat everyone, including his
own sent inels, hand over t heir arm s t o t he m en appoint ed by t he t ribal
chieft ains.

" Those are t he rules of war," t he leader explained. " The oases m ay not
shelt er arm ies or t roops."

To t he boy's surprise, t he Englishm an t ook a chrom e - plat ed revolver

out of his bag and gave it t o t he m en w ho w ere collect ing t he arm s.

" Why a revolver?" he asked.

" I t helped m e t o t rust in people," t he Englishm an answ ered.

Meanwhi le, t he boy t hought about his t reasure. The closer he got t o
t he realizat ion of his dream , t he m ore difficult t hings becam e. I t
seem ed as if w hat t he old king had called " beginners luck" w ere no
longer funct ioning. I n his pursuit of t he dream , he was being
const ant ly subj ect ed t o t est s of his per sist ence and cour age. So he
could not be hast y, nor im pat ient . I f he pushed forward im pulsively, he
w ould fail t o see t he signs and om ens left by God along his pat h.

God placed t hem along m y pat h. He had surprised him self wit h t he
t hought . Unt il t hen, he had considered t he om ens t o be t hings of t his
w or ld. Like eat ing or sleeping, or like seeking love or finding a j ob. He
had never t hought of t hem in t erm s of a language used by God t o
indicat e what he should do.

" Don't be im pat ient ," he repeat ed t o him self. " I t 's like t he cam el driver
said: 'Eat w hen it 's t im e t o eat . And m ove along w hen it 's t im e t o
m ov e along.'"

That first day, everyone slept from exhaust ion, including t he

Englishm an. The boy was assigned a place far from his friend, in a t ent
wit h five ot her young m en of about his age. They were people of t he
desert , and clam ored t o hear his st ories about t he great cit ies.

The boy t old t hem about his life as a shepherd, and w as about t o t ell
t hem of his experiences at t he cryst al shop when t he Englishm an cam e
int o t he t ent .

" I 've been looking for you all m orning," he said, as he led t he boy
out side. " I need you t o help m e find out where t he alchem ist lives."

First , t hey t ried t o find him on t heir ow n. An alchemist would probably

live in a m anner t hat was different from t hat of t he rest of t he people
at t he oasis, and it w as likely t hat in his t ent an oven w as cont inuously
burning. They searched everywhere, and found t hat t he oasis was
m uch larger t han t hey could have im agined; t here were hundreds of
t ent s.

" We've wast ed alm ost t he ent ire day," said t he Englishm an, sit t ing
down wit h t he boy near one of t he wells.

"Maybe we'd bet t er ask som eone," t he boy suggest ed.

The Englishm an didn't want t o t ell ot hers about his r easons for being
at t he oasis, and couldn't m ake up his m ind. But , finally, he agreed
t hat t he boy, who spoke bet t er Arabic t han he, should do so. The boy
approached a wom an who had com e t o t he well t o fill a goat skin wit h
w at er.

" Good aft ernoon, m a 'am . I 'm t rying t o find out where t he alchem ist
lives here at t he oasis."

The wom an said she had never heard of such a person, and hurried
away. But before she fled, she advised t he boy t hat he had bet t er not
t ry t o converse w it h w om en w ho w ere dressed in black, because t hey
were m arried wom en. He should respect t radit ion.

The Englishm an w as disappoint ed. I t seem ed he had m ade t he long

j ourney for not hing. The boy was also saddened; his friend was in
pursuit of his Personal Legend. And, when som eone was i n such
pursuit , t he ent ire universe m ade an effort t o help him succeed - t hat 's
what t he old king had said. He couldn't have been wrong.

" I had never heard of alchem ist s before," t he boy said. " Maybe no one
here has, eit her."

The Englishm an's eyes lit up. " That 's it ! Maybe no one here knows
what an alchem ist is! Find out who it is who cures t he peoples
illnesses! "

Several wom en dressed in black cam e t o t he well for wat er, but t he
boy would speak t o none of t hem , despit e t he Englishm an's insist ence.
Then a m an approached.

"Do you know som eone here who cures people's illnesses?" t he boy
ask ed.

" Allah cures our illnesses," said t he m an, clearly fright ened of t he
st rangers. " You're looking for wit ch doct ors." He spoke som e verses
from t he Koran, and m oved on.

Anot her m an appeared. He was older, and was carrying a sm all

bucket . The boy repeat ed his quest ion.

" Why do you want t o find t hat sort of person?" t he Arab asked.

" Because m y friend here has t raveled for m any m ont hs in order t o
m eet wit h him ," t he boy said.
" I f such a m an is here at t he oasis, he m ust be t he very powerful one,"
said t he old m an aft er t hinking for a few m om ent s. " Not even t he t ribal
chieft ains are able t o see him when t hey want t o. Only when he
consent s.

" Wait for t he end of t he w ar . Then leave wit h t he caravan. Don't t ry t o

ent er int o t he life of t he oasis," he said, and walked away.

But t he Englishm an was exult ant . They were on t he right t rack.

Finally, a young wom an approached who was not dressed in black. She
had a vessel on her shoulder, and her head was covered by a veil, but
her face was uncovered. The boy approached her t o ask about t he
alchem ist .

At t hat m om ent , it seem ed t o him t hat t im e st ood st ill, and t he Soul of

t he World surged wit hin him . When he looked int o her dark eyes, and
saw t hat her lips were poised bet ween a laugh and silence, he learned
t he m ost im port ant part of t he language t hat all t he world spoke - the
language t hat everyone on eart h was capable of underst anding in t heir
heart . I t w as love. Som et hing older t han hum anit y, m ore ancient t han
t he desert . Som et hing t hat exert ed t he sam e force whenever t wo pairs
of eyes m et , as had t heirs here at t he well. She sm iled, and t hat was
cert ainly an om en-t he om en he had been await ing, wit hout even
knowing he was, for al l his life. The om en he had sought t o find w it h
his sheep and in his books, in t he cr yst als and in t he silence of t he
desert .

I t was t he pure Language of t he World. I t required no explanat ion, j ust

as t he universe needs none as it t ravels t hrough endless t im e. What
t he boy felt at t hat m om ent was t hat he was in t he presence of t he
only wom an in his life, and t hat , wit h no need for words, she
recognized t he sam e t hing. He w as m ore cert ain of it t han of anyt hing
in t he world. He had been t old by his parent s and grandparent s t hat
he m ust fall in love and r eally know a per son befor e becom ing
com m it t ed. But m aybe people who felt t hat way had never learned t he
universal language. Because, when you know t hat language, it 's easy
t o underst and t hat som eone in t he w o rld await s you, whet her it 's in
t he m iddle of t he desert or in som e great cit y. And when t wo such
people encount er each ot her, and t heir eyes m eet , t he past and t he
fut ure becom e unim port ant . There is only t hat m om ent , and t he
incredible cert aint y t hat eve ryt hing under t he sun has been writ t en by
one hand only . I t is t he hand t hat ev ok es lov e, and cr eat es a t w in soul
for every person in t he world. Wit hout such love, one's dream s would
have no m eaning.

Makt ub, t hought t he boy.

The Englishm an shook t he boy: "Com e on, ask her! "

The boy st epped closer t o t he girl, and when she sm iled, he did t he
sam e.

"What 's your nam e?" he asked.

" Fat im a," t he girl said, avert ing her eyes.

" That 's what som e wom en in m y count ry are called."

" I t 's t he nam e of t he Prophet 's daught er," Fat im a said. " The invaders
carried t he nam e everywhere." The beaut iful girl spoke of t he invaders
w it h pr ide.

The Englishm an prodded him , and t he boy asked her about t he m an

who cured people's illnesses.

" That 's t he m an who knows all t he secret s of t he world," she said."He
com m unicat es wit h t he genies of t he desert ."

The genies were t he spirit s of good and evil. And t he girl point ed t o
t he sout h, indicat ing t hat it w as t here t he st range m an lived. Then she
filled her vessel wit h wat er and left .

The Englishm an vanished, t oo, gone t o find t he alchem ist . And t he boy
sat t here by t he well for a long t im e, rem em bering t hat one day in
Tarifa t he levant er had brought t o him t he perfum e of t hat wom an,
and realizing t hat he had loved her before he eve n knew she exist ed.
He knew t hat his love for her would enable him t o discover every
t reasure in t he w orld.

The next day, t he boy ret urned t o t he well, hoping t o see t he girl. To
his surprise, t he Englishm an was t here, looking out at t he desert .

" I w ait e d all aft ernoon and evening," he said. " He appeared wit h t he
fir st st ar s of evening. I t old him w hat I w as seeking, and he asked m e
if I had ever t ransform ed lead int o gold. I t old him t hat was what I had
com e here t o learn.
" He t old m e I should t ry t o do so. That 's all he said: 'Go and t ry.'"

The boy didn't say anyt hing. The poor Englishm an had t raveled all t his
w ay , only t o be t old t hat he should r epeat w hat he had alr eady done
so m any t im es.

" So, t hen t ry," he said t o t he Englishm an.

" That 's what I 'm going t o do. I 'm going t o st art now."

As t he Englishm an left , Fat im a arrived and filled her vessel wit h wat er.

" I cam e t o t ell you j ust one t hing," t he boy said. " I w ant you t o be m y
wife. I love you."

The girl dropped t he cont ainer, and t he wat er spilled .

" I 'm going t o wait here for you every day. I have crossed t he desert in
search of a t reasure t hat is som ewhere near t he Pyram ids, and for m e,
t he war seem ed a curse. But now it 's a blessing, because it brought
m e t o you."

" The war is going t o end so m eday," t he girl said.

The boy looked around him at t he dat e palm s. He rem inded him self
t hat he had been a shepherd, and t hat he could be a shepherd again.
Fat im a was m ore im port ant t han his t reasure.

" The t ribesm en are always in search of t reasure," t he girl said, as if

she had guessed w hat he w as t hink ing. " And t he w om en of t he deser t
are proud of t heir t ribesm en."

She refilled her vessel and left .

The boy w ent t o t he w ell every day t o m eet w it h Fat im a. He t old her
about his life as a shepher d, about t he king, and about t he cr yst al
shop. They becam e friends, and except for t he fift een m inut es he
spent wit h her, each day seem ed t hat it would never pass. When he
had been at t he oasis for alm ost a m ont h, t he leader of t he caravan
called a m eet ing of all of t he people t raveling wit h him .
" We don't know w hen t he w ar w ill end, so w e can't cont inue our
j ourney," he said. "The bat t les m ay last for a long t im e, perhaps even
years. There are pow erful forces on bot h sides, and t he w ar is
im por t ant t o bot h ar m ies. I t 's not a bat t le of good against evil. I t 's a
war bet ween forces t hat are fight ing for t he balance of power, and,
w hen t hat t y pe of bat t le begins, it last s longer t han ot her s - because
Allah is on bot h sides."

The people went back t o where t hey were living, and t he boy went t o
m eet w it h Fat im a t hat aft ernoon. He t old her about t he m orning's
m eet ing. " The day aft er we m et ," Fat im a said, " you t old m e t hat you
loved m e. Then, you t aught m e som et hing of t he universal language
and t he Soul of t he World. Because of t hat , I have becom e a part of
you."

The boy list ened t o t he sound of her voice, and t hought it t o be m ore
beaut iful t han t he sound of t he wind in t he dat e palm s.

" I have been wait ing for you here at t his oasis for a long t im e. I have
for got t en about m y past , about m y t r adit ions, and t he w ay in w hich
m en of t he desert expect wom en t o behave. Ever since I was a child, I
have dream ed t hat t he desert would bring m e a wonderful present .
Now, m y present has arrived, and it 's you."

The boy w ant ed t o t ake her hand. But Fat im a's hands held t o t he
handles of her j ug.

" You have t old m e about your dream s, about t he old king and your
t reasure. And you've t old m e about om ens. So now, I fear not hing,
because it w as t hose om ens t hat brought you t o m e. And I am a part
of your dream , a part of your Personal Legend, as you call it .

"That 's why I want you t o cont inue t oward your goal. I f you have t o
wait unt il t he war is over, t hen wait . But if you have t o go before t hen,
go on in pur suit of your dr eam . The dunes ar e changed by t he w ind,
but t he desert never changes. That 's t he way it will be wit h our love
for each ot her.

" Makt ub," she said. " I f I am really a part of your dream , you'll com e
back one day."

The boy w as sad as he left her t hat day. He t hought of all t he m arried
shepherds he had known. They had a difficult t im e convincing t heir
w ives t hat t hey had t o go off int o dist ant fields. Love required t hem t o
st ay wit h t he people t hey loved.

He t old Fat im a t hat , at t heir next m eet ing.

" The desert t akes our m en from us, and t hey don't always ret urn," she
said. " We know t hat , and we are used t o it . Those who don't ret urn
becom e a part of t he clouds, a part of t he anim als t hat hide in t he
ravines and of t he wat er t hat com es from t he eart h. They becom e a
part of ever yt hing... t hey becom e t he Soul of t he Wor ld.

"Som e do com e back. And t hen t he ot her wom en are happy because
t hey believe t hat t heir m en m ay one day ret urn, as well. I used t o look
at t hose wom en and envy t hem t heir happiness. Now, I t oo will be one
o f t he w om en w ho w ait .

" I 'm a desert wom an, and I 'm proud of t hat . I want m y husband t o
w ander as fr ee as t he w ind t hat shapes t he dunes. And, if I have t o, I
will accept t he fact t hat he has becom e a part of t he clouds, and t he
anim als, and t he wat er of t he d esert ."

The boy went t o look for t he Englishm an. He want ed t o t ell him about
Fat im a. He w as surprised w hen he saw t hat t he Englishm an had built
him self a furnace out side his t ent . I t was a st range furnace, fueled by
firewood, wit h a t ransparent flask heat ing on t op. As t he Englishm an
st ared out at t he desert , his eyes seem ed bright er t han t hey had when
he was reading his books.

" This is t he first phase of t he j ob," he said. " I have t o separat e out t he
sulfur. To do t hat successfully, I m ust have no fear of failure. I t was
m y fear of failur e t hat fir st kept m e fr om at t em pt ing t he Mast er Wor k.
Now , I 'm beginning w hat I could have st art ed t en years ago. But I 'm
happy at least t hat I didn't wait t went y years."

He cont inued t o feed t he fir e, and t he boy st ay ed on unt il t he desert

t urned pink in t he set t ing sun. He felt t he urge t o go out int o t he
deser t , t o see if it s silence held t he answ er s t o his quest ions.

He wandered for a while, keeping t he dat e palm s of t he oasis wit hin

sight . He list ened t o t he w ind, and felt t he st ones beneat h his feet .
Here and t here, he found a shell, and realized t hat t he desert , in
rem ot e t im es, had been a sea. He sat on a st one, and allow ed him self
t o becom e hypnot ized by t he horizon. He t ried t o deal wit h t he concept
of lov e as dist inct from possession, and couldn't separat e t hem . But
Fat im a was a wom an of t he desert , and, if anyt hing could help him t o
underst and, it was t he desert .

As he sat t here t hinking, he sensed m ovem ent above him . Looking up,
he saw a pair of hawks flying high in t he sky.

He wat ched t he hawks as t hey drift ed on t he wind. Alt hough t heir

flight appeared t o have no pat t ern, it m ade a cert ain kind of sense t o
t he boy. I t was j ust t hat he couldn't grasp what it m eant . He followed
t he m ovem ent of t he birds, t ryi ng t o read som et hing int o it . Maybe
t hese deser t bir ds could explain t o him t he m eaning of love w it hout
ownership.

He felt sleepy. I n his heart , he want ed t o rem ain awake, but he also
w ant ed t o sleep. " I am learning t he Language of t he World, and
everyt hi ng in t he world is beginning t o m ake sense t o m e... even t he
flight of t he hawks," he said t o him self. And, in t hat m ood, he was
gr at eful t o be in lov e. When y ou ar e in lov e, t hings m ak e ev en m or e
sense, he t hought .

Suddenly , one of t he haw k s m ade a flashing dive t hrough t he sky,

at t acking t he ot her. As it did so, a sudden, fleet ing im age cam e t o t he
boy: an arm y, wit h it s swords at t he ready, riding int o t he oasis. The
vision vanished im m ediat ely, but it had shaken him . He had heard
people speak of m irage s, and had already seen som e him self: t hey
were desires t hat , because of t heir int ensit y, m at erialized over t he
sands of t he desert . But he cert ainly didn't desire t hat an arm y invade
t he oasis.

He w ant ed t o for get about t he v ision, and r et ur n t o his m edit at ion. He

t ried again t o concent rat e on t he pink shades of t he desert , and it s
st ones. But t here w as som et hing t here in his heart t hat w ouldn't allow
him t o do so.

" Alw ays heed t he om ens," t he old king had said. The boy recalled w hat
h e h ad seen in t h e vision, and sensed t hat it was act ually going t o
occur.

He rose, and m ade his way back t oward t he palm t rees. Once again,
he perceived t he m any languages in t he t hings about him : t his t im e,
t he desert was safe, and it was t he oasis t hat had becom e dangerous.
The cam el dr iver w as seat ed at t he base of a palm t r ee, obser ving t he
sunset . He saw t he boy appeared from t he ot her side of t he dunes.

" An arm y is com ing," t he boy said. " I had a vision."

" The desert fills m en's heart s wit h visions," t he cam el dri ver answered.

But t he boy t old him about t he hawks: t hat he had been wat ching t heir
flight and had suddenly felt him self t o have plunged t o t he Soul of t he
Wor ld.

The cam el driver underst ood w hat t he boy w as saying. He knew t hat
any giv en t hing on t he face of t he eart h could reveal t he hist ory of all
t hings. One could open a book t o any page, or look at a person's
hand; one could t urn a card, or wat ch t he flight of t he birds ...
what ever t he t hing observed, one could find a connect ion wit h his
experience of t he m om ent . Act ually, it wasn't t hat t hose t hings, in
t hem selves, revealed anyt hing at all; it was j ust t hat people, looking
at what was occurring around t hem , could find a m eans of penet rat ion
t o t he Soul of t he Wor ld.

The deser t w as full of m en w ho earned t heir living based on t he ease

wit h which t hey could penet rat e t o t he Soul of t he World. They were
known as seers, and t hey were held in fear by wom en and t he elderly.
Tr ibesm en w er e also w ar y of consult ing t hem , because it w ould be
im possible t o be effect ive in bat t le if one knew t hat he w as fat ed t o
die. The t ribesm en preferred t he t ast e of bat t le, and t he t hrill of not
knowing what t he out com e would be; t he fut ure was already writ t en
by Allah, and what he had writ t en was always for t he good of m an. So
t he t ribesm en lived only for t he present , because t he present was full
of surprises, and t hey had t o be aware of m any t hings: Where was t he
enem y's sword? Where was his horse? What kind of blow should one
deliver next in order t o rem ain alive? The cam e l dr iver w as not a
fight er, and he had consult ed wit h seers. Many of t hem had been right
about what t hey said, while som e had been wrong. Then, one day, t he
oldest seer he had ever sought out ( and t he one m ost t o be feared)
had asked why t he cam el driver was so int erest ed in t he fut ure.

" Well... so I can do t hings," he had responded. " And so I can change
t hose t hings t hat I don't w ant t o happen."

" But t hen t hey wouldn't be a part of your fut ure," t he seer had said.
" Well, m aybe I j ust w ant t o know t he fut ure so I can prepare m yself
for what 's com ing."

" I f good t hings are com ing, t hey will be a pleasant surprise," said t he
seer. " I f bad t hings are, and you know in advance, you will suffer
great ly before t hey even occur."

" I want t o know about t he fut ure because I 'm a m an," t he cam el driver
had said t o t he seer . " And m en alw ays live t heir lives based on t he
fut ure."

The seer was a specialist in t he cast ing of t wigs; he t hrew t hem on t he

ground, and m ade int erpret at ions based on how t hey fell. That day, he
didn't m ake a cast . He w r apped t he t w igs in a piece of clot h and put
t hem back in his bag.

" I m ake m y living forecast ing t he fut ure for people," he said. " I know
t he science of t he t wigs, and I know how t o use t hem t o penet rat e t o
t he place w here all is writ t en. There, I can read t he past , discover
w hat has already been forgot t en, and underst and t he om ens t hat are
here in t he present .

" When people consult m e, it 's not t hat I 'm reading t he fut ure; I am
guessing at t he fut ure. The fut ure belongs t o God, and it is only he
who reveals it , under ext raordinary circum st ances. How do I guess at
t he fut ur e? Based on t he om ens of t he pr esent . The secr et is her e in
t he present . I f you pay at t ent ion t o t he present , you can im prove upon
it . And, if you im prove on t he present , what com es lat er will also be
bet t er. Forget about t he fut ure, and live each day according t o t he
t eachings, confident t hat God loves his children. Each day, in it self,
brings wit h it an et ernit y."

The cam el driver had asked what t he circum st ance s w ere under w hich
God would allow him t o see t he fut ure.

" Only when he, him self, reveals it . And God only rarely reveals t he
fut ure. When he does so, it is for only one reason: it 's a fut ure t hat
was writ t en so as t o be alt ered."

God had show n t he boy a par t of t he fut ur e, t he cam el dr iver t hought .

Why was it t hat he want ed t he boy t o serve as his inst rum ent ?

" Go and speak t o t he t ribal chieft ains," said t he cam el driver. " Tell
t hem about t he arm ies t hat are approaching."
" They'll laugh at m e."

" They are m en of t he desert , and t he m en of t he desert are used t o

dealing wit h om ens."

" Well, t hen, t hey probably already know."

" They're not concerned wit h t hat right now. They believe t hat if t hey
have t o know about som et hing Allah w ant s t hem t o know , som eone
will t ell t hem about it . I t has happened m any t im es before. But , t his
t im e, t he person is you."

The boy t hought of Fat im a. And he decided he would go t o see t he

chiefs of t he t r ibes.

~~~~~~~~~

The boy approached t he guard at t he front of t he huge whit e t ent at

t he cent er of t he oasis.

" I want t o see t he chieft ains. I 've brought om ens from t he desert ."

Wit hout responding, t he guard ent ered t he t ent , where he rem ained
for som e t im e. When he em erged, it w as w it h a young Arab, dressed
in whit e and gold. The boy t old t he younger m an what he had seen,
and t he m an asked him t o wait t here. He disappeared int o t he t ent .

Night fell, and an assort m ent of fight ing m en and m erchant s ent ered
and exit ed t he t ent . One by one, t he cam pfires were ext inguished, and
t he oasis fell as quiet as t he desert . Only t he light s in t he great t ent
rem ained. During all t his t im e, t he boy t hought about Fat im a, and he
was st ill unable t o underst and his last conversat ion wit h her.

Finally, aft er hours of wait ing, t he guard bade t he boy ent er. The boy
was ast onished by what he saw inside. Never could he have im agined
t hat , t her e in t he m iddle of t he deser t , t her e exist ed a t ent like t his
one. The ground w as covered w it h t he m ost beaut iful carpet s he had
ever w alked upon, and fr om t he t op of t he st r uct ur e hung lam ps of
hand- wrought gold, each wit h a light ed candle. The t ribal chieft ains
w ere seat ed at t he back of t he t ent in a sem icircle, rest ing upon richly
em broidered silk cushions. Servant s cam e and went wit h silver t rays
laden w it h spices and t ea. Ot her servant s m aint ained t he fires in t he
hookahs. The at m osphere was suffused wit h t he sweet scent of sm oke.
There w ere eight chieft ains, but t he boy could see im m ediat ely w hich
of t hem w as t he m ost im por t ant : an Ar ab dr essed in w hit e and gold,
seat ed at t he cent er of t he sem icircle. At his side was t he young Arab
t he boy had spoken wit h earlier.

" Who is t his st ranger who speaks of om ens?" asked one of t he

chieft ains, eyeing t he boy.

" I t is I ," t he boy answered. And he t old what he had seen.

" Why would t he desert reveal such t hings t o a st ranger, when it knows
t hat we have been here for generat ions?" said anot her of t he
chieft ains.

" Because m y eyes are not yet accust om ed t o t he desert ," t he boy said.
" I can see t hings t hat eyes habit uat ed t o t he desert m ight not see."

And also because I know about t he Soul of t he World, he t hought t o

him self.

" The oasis is neut ral ground. No one at t acks an oasis," said a t hird
chieft ain.

" I can only t ell y ou w hat I saw . I f y ou don't w ant t o believ e me, you
don't have t o do anyt hing about it ."

The m en fell int o an anim at ed discussion. They spoke in an Ar abic

dialect t hat t he boy didn't underst and, but , w hen he m ade t o leave,
t he guard t old him t o st ay. The boy becam e fearful; t he om ens t old
h im t h at som et hing w as w rong. He regret t ed having spoken t o t he
cam el driver about what he had seen in t he desert .

Suddenly, t he elder at t he cent er sm iled alm ost im percept ibly, and t he

boy felt bet t er. The m an hadn't part icipat ed in t he discussion, and, in
fact , hadn't said a word up t o t hat point . But t he boy was already used
t o t he Language of t he World, and he could feel t he vibrat ions of peace
t hroughout t he t ent . Now his int uit ion was t hat he had been right in
com ing.

The discussion ended. The chieft ains were silent for a few m om ent s as
t hey list ened t o w hat t he old m an w as saying. Then he t ur ned t o t he
boy: t his t im e his _expression was cold and dist ant .
" Two t housand years ago, in a dist ant land, a m an who believed in
dream s was t hrown int o a dungeon and t hen sold as a slave," t he old
m an said, now in t he dialect t he boy underst ood. " Our m erchant s
bought t hat m an, and brought him t o Egypt . All of us know t hat
whoever believes in dream s also knows how t o int erpret t hem ."

The elder cont inued, " When t he phar aoh dream ed of cows t hat were
t hin and cows t hat were fat , t his m an I 'm speaking of rescued Egypt
fr om fam ine. His nam e w as Joseph. He, t oo, w as a st r anger in a
st range land, like you, and he was probably about your age."

He paused, and his eyes were st ill unfriendly.

" We always observe t he Tradit ion. The Tradit ion saved Egypt from
fam ine in t hose days, and m ade t he Egypt ians t he w ealt hiest of
peoples. The Tradit ion t eaches m en how t o cross t he desert , and how
t heir children should m arry. The Tradit ion says t hat an oasis is neut ral
t errit ory, because bot h sides have oases, and so bot h are vulnerable."

No one said a word as t he old m an cont inued.

" But t he Tr adit ion also says t hat w e should believe t he m essages of
t he desert . Everyt hing we know was t aught t o us by t he desert ."

The old m an gave a signal, and everyone st ood. The m eet ing was
over. The hookahs w ere ext inguished, and t he guards st ood at
at t ent ion. The boy m ade ready t o leave, but t he old m an spoke again:

" Tom orrow, we are going t o break t he agreem ent t hat says t hat no
one at t he oasis m ay carry arm s. Throughout t he ent ire day we will be
on t he lookout for our enem ies. When t he sun set s, t he m en will once
again sur r ender t heir ar m s t o m e. For ever y t en dead m en am ong our
enem ies, you w ill receive a piece of gold.

" But ar m s cannot be dr aw n unless t hey also go int o bat t le. Ar m s ar e

as capricious as t he desert , and, if t hey are not used, t he next t im e
t hey m ight not funct ion. I f at least one of t hem hasn't been used by
t he end of t he day t om orrow, one will be used on you."

When t he boy left t he t ent , t he oasis was illum inat ed only by t he light
of t he full m oon. He w as t w ent y m inut es fr om his t ent , and began t o
m ak e his w ay t her e.
He was alarm ed by what had happened. He had succeeded in reaching
thro ugh t o t he Soul of t he World, and now t he price for having done so
m ight be his life. I t w as a fr ight ening bet . But he had been m ak ing
risky bet s ever since t he day he had sold his sheep t o pursue his
Personal Legend. And, as t he cam el driver had said, t o die t om orrow
w as no w orse t han dying on any ot her day. Every day w as t here t o be
lived or t o m ark one's depart ure from t his world. Everyt hing depended
on one word: "Makt ub."

Walking along in t he silence, he had no regret s. I f he died t om orrow, it

w ould be because God was not willing t o change t he fut ure. He would
at least have died aft er having crossed t he st rait , aft er having worked
in a cr yst al shop, and aft er having know n t he silence of t he deser t and
Fat im a's eyes. He had lived every one of his days int ensely since he
had left hom e so long ago. I f he died t om orrow, he would already have
seen m ore t han ot her shepherds, and he was proud of t hat .

Suddenly he heard a t hundering sound, and he was t hrown t o t he

ground by a wind such as he had never known. Th e area was swirling
in dust so int ense t hat it hid t he m oon fr om view . Befor e him w as an
enorm ous whit e horse, rearing over him wit h a fright ening scream .

When t he blinding dust had set t led a bit , t he boy t r em bled at w hat he
saw. Ast ride t he anim al was a horsem an dressed com plet ely in black,
wit h a falcon perched on his left shoulder. He wore a t urban and his
ent ire face, except for his eyes, was covered wit h a black kerchief. He
appeared t o be a m essenger from t he desert , but his presence was
m uch m ore powerful t han t hat of a m ere m essenger.

The st range horsem an drew an enorm ous, curved sword from a

scabbard m ount ed on his saddle. The st eel of it s blade glit t ered in t he
light of t he m oon.

" Who dares t o read t he m eaning of t he flight of t he hawks?" he

dem anded, so loudly t hat his w ords seem ed t o echo t hrough t he fift y
t housand palm t rees of Al- Fayoum .

" I t is I w ho dar ed t o do so," said t he boy . He w as r em inded of t he

im age of Sant iago Mat am oros, m ount ed on his whit e horse, wit h t he
infidels beneat h his hooves. This m an looked exact ly t he sam e, except
t hat now t he roles were reversed.
" I t is I who dared t o do so," he repeat ed, and he lowered his head t o
receive a blow from t he sw ord. " Many lives w ill be saved, because I
was able t o see t hrough t o t he Soul of t he World."

The sword didn't fall. I nst ead, t he st ranger lowered it slowly, unt il t he
point t ouched t he boy's forehead. I t drew a droplet of blood.

The horsem an was com plet ely im m obile, as was t he boy.

I t didn't even occur t o t he boy t o flee. I n his hear t , he felt a st r ange

sense of j oy: he w as about t o die in pur suit of his Per sonal Legend.
And for Fat im a. The om ens had been t rue, aft er all. Here he was, face-
t o- face wit h his enem y, but t here was no need t o be concerned about
dying-t h e Sou l of t h e World await ed him , and he would soon be a part
of it . And, t om orrow, his enem y would also be a part of t hat Soul.

The st ranger cont inued t o hold t he sword at t he boy's forehead. " Why
did you read t he flight of t he birds?"

" I r ead only w hat t he bir ds w ant ed t o t ell m e. They want ed t o save t he
oasis. Tom orrow all of you will die, because t here are m ore m en at t he
oasis t han you have."

The sw or d r em ained w her e it w as. " Who ar e you t o change w hat Allah
has willed?"

" Allah creat ed t he arm ies, and he also created t he hawks. Allah t aught
m e t he language of t he birds. Everyt hing has been writ t en by t he
sam e hand," t he boy said, rem em bering t he cam el driver's words.

The st ranger wit hdrew t he sword from t he boy's forehead, and t he boy
felt im m ensely relieved. But he st ill couldn't flee.

" Be careful wit h your prognost icat ions," said t he st ranger. " When
som et hing is writ t en, t here is no way t o change it ."

" All I saw w as an ar m y," said t he boy. " I didn't see t he out com e of t he
bat t le."

The st ranger seem ed sat isfied w it h t he answ er. But he kept t he sw ord
in his hand. " What is a st ranger doing in a st range land?"

"I am following m y Personal Legend. I t 's not som et hing you would
under st and."
The st ranger placed his sword in it s scabbard, and t he boy relaxed.

" I had t o t est your courage," t he st ranger said. " Courage is t he qualit y
m ost essent ial t o underst anding t he Language of t he World."

The boy was surprised. The st ranger was speaking of t hings t hat very
few people knew about .

" You m ust not let up, even aft er having com e so far," he cont inued.
" You m ust love t he desert , but never t rust it com plet ely. Because t he
desert t est s all m en: it challenges every st ep, and kills t hose who
becom e dist ract ed."

What he said rem inded t he boy of t he old king.

"I f t he warriors com e here, and your head is st ill on your shoulders at
sunset , com e and find m e," said t he st ranger.

The sam e hand t hat had br andished t he sw or d now held a w hip. The
horse reaped again, raising a cloud of dust .

" Wher e do you live?" shout ed t he boy, as t he horsem an rode away.

The hand wit h t he whip point ed t o t he sout h.

The boy had m et t he alchem ist .

~~~~~~~~~

Next m orning, t here were t wo t housand arm ed m en scat t ered

t hr oughout t he palm t r ees at Al- Fayoum . Before t he sun had reached
it s high point , five hundred t ribesm en appeared on t he horizon. The
m ount ed t roops ent ered t he oasis from t he nort h; it appeared t o be a
peaceful expedit ion, but t hey all carried arm s hidden in t heir robes.
When t hey reached t he whit e t ent at t he cent er of Al - Fayoum , t hey
w it hdrew t heir scim it ars and rifles. And t hey at t acked an em pt y t ent .

The m en of t he oasis surrounded t he horsem en from t he desert and

wit hin half an hour all but one of t he int ruders were dead. The children
had been kept at t he ot her side of a grove of palm t rees, and saw
not hing of what had happened. The wom en had rem ained in t heir
t ent s, praying for t he safekeeping of t heir husbands, and saw not hing
of t he bat t le, eit her . Wer e it not for t he bodies t her e on t he gr ound, it
w ould have appeared t o be a norm al day at t he oasis.

The only t ribesm an spared was t he com m ander of t he bat t alion. That
aft ernoon, he was brought before t he t ribal chieft ains, who asked him
why he had violat ed t he Tradit ion. The com m ander said t hat his m en
had been st arving and t hirst y, exhaust ed fr om m any days of bat t le,
and had decided t o t ak e t he oasis so as t o be able t o r et ur n t o t he
war.

The t ribal chieft ain said t hat he felt sorry for t he t ribesm en, but t hat
t he Tradit ion w as sacred. He condem ned t he com m ander t o deat h
w it hout honor. Rat her t han being killed by a blade or a bullet , he was
hanged from a dead palm t ree, where his body t wist ed in t he desert
w ind.

The t ribal chieft ain called for t he boy, and present ed him w it h fift y
pieces of gold. He repeat ed his st ory about Joseph of Egypt , and asked
t he boy t o becom e t he counselor of t he oasis.

~~~~~~~~~

When t he Sun had set , and t he first st ars m ade t heir appearance, t he
boy st ar t ed t o w alk t o t he sout h. He event ually sight ed a single t ent ,
and a group of Arabs passing by t old t he boy t hat it was a place
inhabit ed by genies. But t he boy sat down and wait ed.

Not unt il t he m oon w as high did t he alchem ist r ide int o view . He
carried t wo dead hawks over his shoulder.

" I am her e," t he boy said.

" You shouldn't be here," t he alchem ist answered. "Or is it your

Personal Legend t hat brings you here?"

" Wit h t he wars bet ween t he t ribes, it 's im possible t o cross t he desert .
So I have com e here."

The alchem ist dism ount ed from his horse, and signaled t hat t he boy
should ent er t he t ent wit h him . I t was a t ent like m any at t he oasis.
The boy looked around for t he ovens and ot her apparat us used in
alchem y, but saw none. Ther e w er e only som e books in a pile, a sm all
cooking st ove, and t he carpet s, covered wit h m yst erious designs.
" Sit dow n. We'll have som et hing t o drink and eat t hese haw ks," said
t he alchem ist .

The boy suspect ed t hat t hey were t he sam e hawks he had seen on t he
day before, but he said not hing. The alchem ist light ed t he fire, and
soon a delicious ar om a filled t he t ent . I t w as bet t er t han t he scent of
t he hook ahs.

" Why did you want t o see m e?" t he boy asked.

" Because of t he om ens," t he alchem ist answ ered. " The w ind t old m e
you would be com ing, and t hat you would need help."

"I t 's not I t he wind spoke about . I t 's t he ot her foreigner, the
Englishm an. He's t he one t hat 's looking for you."

" He has ot her t hings t o do first . But he's on t he right t rack. He has
begun t o t ry t o underst and t he desert ."

" And w hat about m e?"

" When a per son r eally desir es som et hing, all t he univer se conspir es to
help t hat person t o realize his dream ," said t he alchem ist , echoing t he
words of t he old king. The boy underst ood. Anot her person was t here
t o help him t oward his Personal Legend.

" So you are going t o inst ruct m e?"

" No. You already know all you need t o know. I am only going t o point
you in t he direct ion of your t reasure."

" But t here's a t ribal war," t he boy reit erat ed.

" I know what 's happening in t he desert ."

"I have already found m y t reasure. I have a cam el, I have m y m oney
from t he cryst al shop, and I have fift y gold pieces. I n m y own count ry,
I would be a rich m an."

" But none of t hat is from t he Pyram ids," said t he alchem ist .

" I also have Fat im a. She is a t reasure great er t han anyt hing else I
have won."
" She wasn't found at t he Pyram ids, eit he r."

They at e in silence. The alchem ist opened a bot t le and poured a red
liquid int o t he boy's cup. I t was t he m ost delicious wine he had ever
t ast ed.

" I sn't wine prohibit ed here?" t he boy asked

" I t 's not w hat ent er s m en's m out hs t hat 's ev il," said t he alchem ist .
" I t 's what com es out of t heir m out hs t hat is."

The alchem ist was a bit daunt ing, but , as t he boy drank t he wine, he
relaxed. Aft er t hey finished eat ing t hey sat out side t he t ent , under a
m oon so brilliant t hat it m ade t he st ars pale.

" Drink and enj oy y our self," said t he alchem ist , not icing t hat t he boy
w as feeling happier. " Rest w ell t onight , as if you w ere a w arrior
preparing for com bat . Rem em ber t hat wherever your heart is, t here
you will find your t reasure. You've got t o find t he t reasure, so t hat
everyt hing you have learned along t he way can m ake sense.

" Tom orrow, sell your cam el and buy a horse. Cam els are t rait orous:
t hey walk t housands of paces and never seem t o t ire. Then suddenly,
t hey kneel and die. But horses t ire bit by bit . You always know how
m uch you can ask of t hem , and when it is t hat t hey are about t o die."

~~~~~~~~~

The follow ing night , t he boy appear ed at t he alchem ist 's t ent w it h a
horse. The alchem ist was ready, and he m ount ed his own st eed and
placed t he falcon on his lef t shoulder. He said t o t he boy, "Show m e
w here t here is life out in t he desert . Only t hose w ho can see such
signs of life are able t o find t reasure."

They began t o r ide out over t he sands, w it h t he m oon light ing t heir
w ay. I don't know if I 'll be able t o find life in t he desert , t he boy
t hought . I don't know t he desert t hat well yet .

He w ant ed t o say so t o t he alchem ist , but he w as afr aid of t he m an.

They r eached t he r ocky place w her e t he boy had seen t he haw ks in
t he sky, but now t here was only silence and t he wind.

" I don't know how t o find life in t he desert ," t he boy said. " I know t hat
t here is life here, but I don't know where t o look."
" Life at t ract s life," t he alchem ist answered.

And t hen t he boy underst ood. He loosened t he reins on his horse, who
galloped forward over t he rocks and sand. The alchem ist followed as
t he boy's horse ran for alm ost half an hour. They could no longer see
t he palm s of t he oasis - only t he gigant ic m oon above t hem , and it s
silver reflect ions from t he st ones of t he desert . Suddenly, for no
apparent reason, t he boy's horse began t o slow.

" There's life here," t he boy said t o t he alchem ist . " I don't know t he
language of t he desert , but m y horse knows t he language of life."

They dism ount ed, and t he alchem ist said not hing. Ad vancing slowly,
t hey searched am ong t he st ones. The alchem ist st opped abrupt ly, and
bent t o t he ground. There was a hole t here am ong t he st ones. The
alchem ist put his hand int o t he hole, and t hen his ent ire arm , up t o his
shoulder . Som et hing w as m oving t he re, and t he alchem ist 's eyes^ - the
boy could see only his eyes- squint ed wit h his effort . His arm seem ed
t o be bat t ling w it h w hat ev er w as in t he hole. Then, w it h a m ot ion t hat
st art led t he boy, he wit hdrew his arm and leaped t o his feet . I n his
hand, he grasped a snake by t he t ail.

The boy leapt as well, but away from t he alchem ist . The snake fought
frant ically, m aking hissing sounds t hat shat t ered t he silence of t he
desert . I t was a cobra, whose venom could kill a person in m inut es.

" Wat ch out for his venom ," t he boy said. But even t hough t he
alchem ist had put his hand in t he hole, and had surely already been
bit t en, his _expr ession w as calm . " The alchem ist is t w o hundr ed year s
old," t he Englishm an had t old him . He m ust know how t o deal wit h t he
snakes of t he deser t .

The boy wat ched as his com panion went t o his horse and wit hdrew a
scim it ar . Wit h it s blade, he dr ew a cir cle in t he sand, and t hen he
placed t he snake wit hin it . The serpent relaxed im m ediat ely.

" Not t o worry," said t he alchem ist . " He won't le ave t he circle. You
found life in t he desert , t he om en t hat I needed."

" Why w as t hat so im por t ant ?"

" Because t he Pyram ids are surrounded by t he desert ."

The boy didn't want t o t alk about t he Pyram ids. His heart was heavy,
and he had been m elancholy since t he previous night . To cont inue his
search for t he t reasure m eant t hat he had t o abandon Fat im a.

"I 'm going t o guide you across t he desert ," t he alchem ist said.

" I want t o st ay at t he oasis," t he boy answered. " I 've found Fat im a,

and, as far as I 'm concerned, she's wort h m ore t han t reasure."

" Fat im a is a wom an of t he desert ," said t he alchem ist . " She knows
t hat m en have t o go aw ay in or der t o r et ur n. And she alr eady has her
t reasure: it 's you. Now she expect s t hat you will find what it is you're
look ing for."

" Well, w hat if I decide t o st ay?"

" Let m e t ell you w hat w ill happen. You'll be t he counselor of t he oasis.
You have enough gold t o buy m any sheep and m any cam els. You'll
m arry Fat im a, and you'll bot h be happy for a year. You'll learn t o love
t he desert , and you'll get t o know every one of t he fift y t housand
palm s. You'll w at ch t hem as t hey grow , dem onst rat ing how t he w orld
is alw ays changing. And you'll get bet t er and bet t er at underst anding
om ens, because t he desert is t he best t eacher t here is.

" Som et im e during t he second year, you'll rem em ber about t he

t reasure. The om ens will begin insist ent ly t o speak of it , and you'll t ry
t o ignore t hem . You'll use your knowledge for t he welfare of t he oasis
and it s inhabit ant s. The t ribal chieft ains w ill appreciat e what you do.
And your cam els will bring you wealt h and power.

" During t he t hird year, t he om ens will cont inue t o speak of your
t reasure and your Personal Legend. You'll walk around, night aft er
night , at t he oasis, and Fat im a w ill be unhappy beca use she'll feel it
w as she w ho int er r upt ed your quest . But you w ill love her , and she'll
ret urn your love. You'll rem em ber t hat she never asked you t o st ay,
because a w om an of t he deser t k now s t hat she m ust aw ait her m an.
So y ou w on't blam e her . But m any tim es you'll walk t he sands of t he
desert , t hinking t hat m aybe you could have left ... t hat you could have
t rust ed m ore in your love for Fat im a. Because what kept you at t he
oasis was your own fear t hat you m ight never com e back. At t hat
point , t he om ens w ill t ell you t hat your t reasure is buried forever.
" Then, som et im e during t he fourt h year, t he om ens will abandon you,
because you've st opped list ening t o t hem . The t ribal chieft ains will see
t hat , and you'll be dism issed from your posit ion as counselor. But , by
t hen, you'll be a rich m erchant , wit h m any cam els and a great deal of
m erchandise. You'll spend t he rest of your days know ing t hat you
didn't pursue your Personal Legend, and t hat now it 's t oo lat e.

" You m ust underst and t hat love never keeps a m a n from pursuing his
Personal Legend. I f he abandons t hat pursuit , it 's because it wasn't
t rue love ... t he love t hat speaks t he Language of t he World."

The alchem ist erased t he circle in t he sand, and t he snake slit hered
away am ong t he rocks. The boy rem e m bered t he cryst al m erchant
w ho had alw ays w ant ed t o go t o Mecca, and t he Englishm an in sear ch
of t he alchem ist . He t hought of t he wom an who had t rust ed in t he
desert . And he looked out over t he desert t hat had brought him t o t he
w om an he loved.

They m ount ed t heir horses, and t his t im e it w as t he boy w ho follow ed

t he alchem ist back t o t he oasis. The wind brought t he sounds of t he
oasis t o t hem , and t he boy t ried t o hear Fat im a s voice.

But t hat night , as he had wat ched t he cobra wit hin t he circle, t he
st range horsem an wit h t he falcon on his shoulder had spoken of love
and t reasure, of t he wom en of t he desert and of his Personal Legend.

" I 'm going wit h you," t he boy said. And he im m ediat ely felt peace in
his hear t .

" We'll leave t om orrow before sunrise," w as t he alchem ist s only

r esponse.

~~~~~~~~~

The boy spent a sleepless night . Two hours before dawn, he awoke
one of t he boys w ho slept in his t ent , and asked him t o show him
w her e Fat im a lived. They w ent t o her t ent , and t he boy gave his fr iend
enough gold t o buy a sheep.

Then he asked his friend t o go t o int o t he t ent where Fat im a was

sleeping, and t o awaken her and t ell her t hat he was wait ing out side.
The young Arab did as he was asked, and was given enough gold t o
buy yet anot her sheep.
" Now leave us alone," said t he boy t o t he young Arab. The Arab
ret urned t o his t ent t o sleep, proud t o have helped t he counselor of
t he oasis, and happy at having enough m oney t o buy him self som e
sheep.

Fat im a appear ed at t he ent r ance t o t he t ent . The t w o w alked out

am ong t he palm s. The boy knew t hat it w as a violat ion of t he
Tradit ion, but t hat didn't m at t er t o him now.

" I 'm going aw ay," he said. " And I w ant you t o know t hat I 'm com ing
back. I love you because..."

" Don't say anyt hing," Fat im a int errupt ed. " One is l oved because one is
loved. No reason is needed for loving."

But t he boy cont inued, " I had a dream , and I m et w it h a king. I sold
cryst al and crossed t he desert . And, because t he t ribes declared war, I
w ent t o t he w ell, seeking t he alchem ist . So, I love yo u because t he
ent ire universe conspired t o help m e find you."

The t wo em braced. I t was t he first t im e eit her had t ouched t he ot her.

" I 'll be back," t he boy said.

" Before t his, I always looked t o t he desert wit h longing," said Fat im a.
" Now it w ill be w it h hope. My fat her w ent aw ay one day , but he
ret urned t o m y m ot her, and he has always com e back since t hen."

They said not hing else. They walked a bit fart her am ong t he palm s,
and t hen t he boy left her at t he ent rance t o her t ent .

"I 'll ret urn, j ust as yo ur fat her cam e back t o your m ot her," he said.

He saw t hat Fat im a s eyes were filled wit h t ears.

"You're crying?"

" I 'm a w om an of t he deser t ," she said, aver t ing her face. " But above
all, I 'm a wom an."

Fat im a went back t o her t ent , and, when daylight cam e, she went out
t o do t he chor es she had done for y ear s. But ev er y t hing had changed.
The boy w as no longer at t he oasis, and t he oasis w ould never again
have t he sam e m eaning it had had only yest erday. I t would no longer
be a place w it h fift y t housand palm t rees and t hree hundred wells,
where t he pilgrim s arrived, relieved at t he end of t heir long j ourneys.
From t hat day on, t he oasis would be an em pt y place for her.

From t hat day on, it was t he desert t hat would be im port ant . She
w ould look t o it ev er y day, and would t ry t o guess which st ar t he boy
w as follow ing in search of his t reasure. She w ould have t o send her
kisses on t he w ind, hoping t hat t he w ind w ould t ouch t he boy's face,
and w ould t ell him t hat she w as alive. That she w as w ait ing for him , a
w om an aw ait ing a courageous m an in search of his t reasure. From
t hat day on, t he desert would represent only one t hing t o her: t he
hope for his ret urn.

~~~~~~~~~

" Don't t hink about what you've left behind," t he alchem ist said t o t he
boy as t hey began t o ri de across t he sands of t he desert . " Everyt hing
is writ t en in t he Soul of t he World, and t here it will st ay forever."

" Men dream m ore about com ing hom e t han about leaving," t he boy
said. He was already reaccust om ed t o t he desert 's silence.

" I f what one fi nds is m ade of pure m at t er, it will never spoil. And one
can alw ays com e back. I f w hat you had found w as only a m om ent of
light , like t he explosion of a st ar , you w ould find not hing on your
ret urn."

The m an was speaking t he language of alchem y. But t he bo y knew

t hat he was referring t o Fat im a.

I t w as difficult not t o t hink about w hat he had left behind. The deser t ,
wit h it s endless m onot ony, put him t o dream ing. The boy could st ill
see t he palm t rees, t he w ells, and t he face of t he w om an he loved. He
coul d see t he Englishm an at his exper im ent s, and t he cam el dr iver
who was a t eacher wit hout realizing it . Maybe t he alchem ist has never
been in love, t he boy t hought .

The alchem ist rode in front , wit h t he falcon on his shoulder. The bird
knew t he language of t he desert well, and whenever t hey st opped, he
flew off in search of gam e. On t he first day he ret urned wit h a rabbit ,
and on t he second wit h t wo birds.
At night , t hey spread t heir sleeping gear and kept t heir fires hidden.
The deser t night s w er e cold, and w er e becom ing dar ker and dar ker as
t he phases of t he m oon passed. They w ent on for a w eek, speaking
only of t he precaut ions t hey needed t o follow in order t o avoid t he
bat t les bet ween t he t ribes. The war cont inued, and at t im es t he wind
carried t he swe et , sickly sm ell of blood. Bat t les had been fought
nearby, and t he wind rem inded t he boy t hat t here was t he language of
om ens, always ready t o show him what his eyes had failed t o observe.
On t he sevent h day, t he alchem ist decided t o m ake cam p earlier t han
usual. The falcon flew off t o find gam e, and t he alchem ist offer ed his
wat er cont ainer t o t he boy.

" You ar e alm ost at t he end of your j our ney," said t he alchem ist . " I
congrat ulat e you for having pursued your Personal Legend."

" And you've t old m e not hing along t he way," said t he boy. " I t hought
you were going t o t each m e som e of t he t hings you know. A while ago,
I rode t hrough t he desert wit h a m an who had books on alchem y. But
I wasn't able t o learn anyt hing from t hem ."

" Ther e is only one w ay t o lear n," t he alchem ist answered. " I t 's t hrough
act ion. Everyt hing you need t o know you have learned t hrough your
j ourney. You need t o learn only one t hing m ore."

The boy want ed t o know what t hat was, but t he alchem ist was
searching t he horizon, looking for t he fa lcon.

" Why are you called t he alchem ist ?"

"Because t hat 's what I am ."

" And what went wrong when ot her alchem ist s t ried t o m ake gold and
were unable t o do so?"

" They w ere looking only for gold," his com panion answ ered. " They
w er e seek ing t he t r easur e of t heir Personal Legend, wit hout want ing
act ually t o live out t he Personal Legend."

" What is it t hat I st ill need t o know?" t he boy asked.

But t he alchem ist cont inued t o look t o t he horizon. And finally t he

falcon ret urned wit h t heir m eal. They dug a hole and lit t heir fire in it ,
so t hat t he light of t he flam es would not be seen.
" I 'm an alchem ist sim ply because I 'm an alchem ist ," he said, as he
prepared t he m eal. " I learned t he science from m y grandfat her, who
learned from his fat her, and so on, back t o t he creat ion of t he world.
I n t hose t im es, t he Mast er Wor k could be w r it t en sim ply on an
em erald. But m en began t o rej ect sim ple t hings, and t o writ e t ract s,
int erpret at ions, and philosophical st udies. They also began t o feel t hat
t hey knew a bet t er way t han ot her s had. Yet t he Em er ald Tablet is st ill
alive t oday."

" What was writ t en on t he Em erald Tablet ?" t he boy want ed t o know.

The alchem ist began t o draw in t he sand, and com plet ed his draw ing
in less t han five m inut es. As he dr ew , t he boy t hought of t he old king,
and t he plaza where t hey had m et t hat day; it seem ed as if it had
t aken place years and years ago. " This is what was writ t en on t he
Em erald Tablet ," said t he alchem ist , when he had finished.

The boy t ried t o read what was writ t en in t he sand. "I t 's a code," said
t he boy, a bit disappoint ed. " I t looks like what I saw in t he
Englishm an's books."

" No," t he alchem ist answered. " I t 's like t he flight of t hose t wo hawks;
it can't be underst ood by reason alone. The Em erald Tablet is a direct
passage t o t he Soul of t he World. " The wise m en underst ood t hat t his
nat ural world is only an im age and a copy of paradise. The exist ence of
t his world is sim ply a guarant ee t hat t here exist s a world t hat is
perfect . God creat ed t he world so t hat , t hrough it s visi ble obj ect s, m en
could underst and his spirit ual t eachings and t he m arvels of his
wisdom . That 's what I m ean by act ion."

" Should I underst and t he Em erald Tablet ?" t he boy asked.

" Perhaps, if you were in a laborat ory of alchem y, t his would be t he

r ight t ime t o st udy t he best way t o underst and t he Em erald Tablet . But
you are in t he desert . So im m erse yourself in it . The desert will give
you an underst anding of t he w orld; in fact , anyt hing on t he face of t he
eart h w ill do t hat . You don't even have t o underst and t he desert : all
you have t o do is cont em plat e a sim ple grain of sand, and you w ill see
in it all t he m arvels of creat ion."

" How do I im m erse m yself in t he desert ?"

" List en t o your hear t . I t know s all t hings, because it cam e fr om t he

Soul of t he Wor ld, and it will one day ret urn t here."
~~~~~~~~~

They crossed t he desert for anot her t wo days in silence. The alchem ist
had becom e m uch m ore caut ious, because t hey were approaching t he
area where t he m ost violent bat t les were being waged. As t hey m oved
alon g, t he boy t ried t o list en t o his heart .

I t w as not easy t o do; in earlier t im es, his heart had alw ays been
ready t o t ell it s st ory, but lat ely t hat wasn't t rue. There had been
t im es when his heart spent hours t elling of it s sadness, and at ot her
t im es it becam e so em ot ional over t he desert sunrise t hat t he boy had
t o hide his t ear s. His hear t beat fast est w hen it spoke t o t he boy of
t reasure, and m ore slowly when t he boy st ared ent ranced at t he
endless horizons of t he desert . But his heart was never quiet , even
when t he boy and t he alchem ist had fallen int o silence.

" Why do we have t o list en t o our heart s?" t he boy asked, when t hey
had m ade cam p t hat day.

" Because, w her ever your hear t is, t hat is w her e you'll find your
t r easur e."

" But m y heart is agit at ed," t he boy said. "I t has it s dream s, it get s
em ot ional, and it 's becom e passionat e over a wom an of t he desert . I t
asks t hings of m e, and it keeps m e from sleeping m any night s, w hen
I 'm t hinking about her."

" Well, t hat 's good. Your heart is alive. Keep list ening t o what it has t o
say ."

During t he next t hree days, t he t wo t ravelers passed by a num ber of

arm ed t ribesm en, and saw ot hers on t he horizon. The boy's heart
began t o speak of fear. I t t old him st ories it had heard from t he Soul
of t he Wor ld, st or i es of m en who sought t o find t heir t reasure and
never succeeded. Som et im es it fright ened t he boy w it h t he idea t hat
he m ight not find his t reasure, or t hat he m ight die t here in t he desert .
At ot her t im es, it t old t he boy t hat it w as sat isfied: it had found love
and riches.

" My heart is a t rait or," t he boy said t o t he alchem ist , when t hey had
paused t o rest t he horses. " I t doesn't w ant m e t o go on." " That m akes
sense," t he alchem ist answered. " Nat urally it 's afraid t hat , in pursuing
your dream , you m ight l ose everyt hing you've won."
" Well, t hen, w hy should I list en t o m y hear t ?" " Because you w ill never
again be able t o keep it quiet . Even if you pret end not t o have heard
what it t ells you, it will always be t here inside you, repeat ing t o you
w hat y ou'r e t hinking about life and about t he world."

" You m ean I should list en, even if it 's t reasonous?"

" Treason is a blow t hat com es unexpect edly. I f you know your heart
w ell, it w ill never be able t o do t hat t o you. Because you'll know it s
dream s and wishes, and will know how t o deal wit h t hem .

" You will never be able t o escape from your heart . So it 's bet t er t o
list en t o what it has t o say. That way, you'll never have t o fear an
unant icipat ed blow."

The boy cont inued t o list en t o his hear t as t hey cr ossed t he desert . He
cam e t o underst and it s dodges and t ricks, and t o accept it as it was.
He lost his fear , and for got about his need t o go back t o t he oasis,
because, one aft ernoon, his heart t old him t hat it w as happy. " Even
t hough I com plain som et im es," it said, " it 's because I 'm t he heart of a
person, and people's heart s are t hat way. People are afraid t o pursue
t heir m ost im port ant dream s, because t hey feel t hat t hey don't
deser ve t hem , or t hat t hey'll be unable t o achieve t hem . We, t heir
heart s, becom e fearful j ust t hinking of loved ones who go away
forever, or of m om ent s t hat could have been good but w eren't , or of
t reasures t hat m ight have been found but w ere forever hidden in t he
sands. Because, when t hese t hings happen, we suffer t erribly."

" My heart is afraid t hat it will have t o suffer," t he boy t old t he

alchem ist one night as t hey looked up at t he m oonless sky.

" Tell your heart t hat t he fear of suffering is w orse t han t he suffering
it self. And t hat no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of it s
dream s, because every second of t he search is a second's encount er
wit h God and wit h et ernit y."

" Every second of t he search is an encount er wit h God," t he boy t old

his heart . " When I have been t ruly searching for m y t reasure, every
day has been lum inous, because I 've known t hat every hour was a
part of t he dream t hat I would find it . When I have been t ruly
searching for m y t reasure, I 've discovered t hings along t he way t hat I
never would have seen had I not had t he courage t o t ry t hings t hat
seem ed im poss ible for a shepherd t o achieve."
So his heart was quiet for an ent ire aft ernoon. That night , t he boy
slept deeply, and, when he awoke, his heart began t o t ell him t hings
t hat cam e from t he Soul of t he World. I t said t hat all people who are
happy have God wit hin t hem . And t hat happiness could be found in a
grain of sand from t he desert , as t he alchem ist had said. Because a
grain of sand is a m om ent of creat ion, and t he universe has t aken
m illions of years t o creat e it . " Everyone on eart h has a t reasure t hat
await s him ," his heart said. " We, people's heart s, seldom say m uch
about t hose t reasures, because people no longer want t o go in search
of t hem . We speak of t hem only t o children. Lat er, we sim ply let life
pr oceed, in it s ow n dir ect ion, t ow ar d it s ow n fat e. But , unfort unat ely,
v er y few follow t he pat h laid out for t hem- t he pat h t o t heir Personal
Legends, and t o happiness. Most people see t he world as a t hreat ening
place, and, because t hey do, t he w orld t urns out , indeed, t o be a
t hr eat ening place.

"So, we, t heir heart s, speak m ore and m ore soft ly. We never st op
speaking out , but we begin t o hope t hat our words won't be heard: we
don't want people t o suffer because t hey don't follow t heir heart s."

" Why don't people's heart s t ell t hem t o cont inue t o follow t heir
dream s?" t he boy asked t he alchem ist .

" Because t hat 's what m akes a heart suffer m ost , and heart s don't like
t o suffer ."

From t hen on, t he boy underst ood his heart . He asked it , please, never
t o st op speak ing t o him . He ask ed t hat , w hen he w ander ed far from
his dream s, his heart press him and sound t he alarm . The boy sw ore
t hat , every t im e he heard t he alarm , he would heed it s m essage.

That night , he t old all of t his t o t he alchem ist . And t he alchem ist
underst ood t hat t he boy's heart had ret urned t o t he Soul of t he World.

" So what should I do now?" t he boy asked.

" Cont inue in t he direct ion of t he Pyram ids," said t he alchem ist . " And
cont inue t o pay heed t o t he om ens. Your heart is st ill capable of
showing you where t he t reasure is."

" I s t hat t he o ne t hing I st ill needed t o know?"

" No," t he alchem ist answered. " What you st ill need t o know is t his:
before a dream is realized, t he Soul of t he World t est s everyt hing t hat
w as lear ned along t he w ay. I t does t his not because it is evil, but so
t hat we can, in addit ion t o realizing our dream s, m ast er t he lessons
we've learned as we've m oved t oward t hat dream . That 's t he point at
which m ost people give up. I t 's t he point at which, as we say in t he
language of t he desert , one 'dies of t hirst j ust when t he pa lm t rees
have appeared on t he horizon.'

" Every search begins wit h beginner's luck. And every search ends wit h
t he vict or's being severely t est ed."

The boy rem em bered an old proverb from his count ry. I t said t hat t he
darkest hour of t he night cam e j ust before t he daw n.

~~~~~~~~~

On t he following day, t he first clear sign of danger appeared. Three

arm ed t ribesm en approached, and asked w hat t he boy and t he
alchem ist w ere doing t here.

" I 'm hunt ing wit h m y falcon," t he alchem ist answered.

" We'r e going t o have t o search you t o see whet her you're arm ed," one
of t he t r ibesm en said.

The alchem ist dism ount ed slowly, and t he boy did t he sam e.

" Why are you carrying m oney?" asked t he t ribesm an, when he had
searched t he boy's bag.

" I need it t o get t o t he Pyram id s," he said.

The t ribesm an who was searching t he alchem ist 's belongings found a
sm all cryst al flask filled wit h a liquid, and a yellow glass egg t hat was
slight ly larger t han a chicken's egg.

" What are t hese t hings?" he asked.

" That 's t he Philosopher's St one and t he Elixir of Life. I t 's t he Mast er
Work of t he alchem ist s. Whoever swallows t hat elixir will never be sick
again, and a fragm ent from t hat st one t urns any m et al int o gold."
The Arabs laughed at him , and t he alchem ist laughed along. They
t hought his answer was am using, and t hey allowed t he boy and t he
alchem ist t o proceed wit h all of t heir belongings.

" Are you crazy?" t he boy asked t he alchem ist , w hen t hey had m oved
on. " What did you do t hat for?"

" To show you one of life's sim ple lessons," t he alchem ist answered.
" When you possess great t reasures wit hin you, and t ry t o t ell ot hers of
t hem , seldom are you believed."

They cont inued across t he desert . Wit h every day t hat passed, t he
boy's heart becam e m ore and m ore silent . I t no longer want ed t o
know about t hings of t he past or fut ure; it was cont ent sim ply t o
cont em plat e t he desert , and t o drink wit h t he boy from t he Soul of t he
World. The boy and his heart had becom e friends, and neit her was
capable now of bet raying t he ot her.

When his hear t spoke t o him , it was t o provide - a st im ulus t o t he boy,

and t o give him st rengt h, because t he days of silence t here in t he
deser t w er e w ear isom e. His hear t t old t he boy w hat his st r ongest
qualit ies were: his courage in having given up his sheep and in t rying
t o live out his Personal Legend, and his ent husiasm during t he t im e he
had worked at t he cryst al shop.

And his heart t old him som et hing else t hat t he boy had never not iced:
it t old t he boy of dangers t hat had t hreat ened him , but t hat he had
never perceived. His hear t said t hat one t im e it had hidden t he r ifle
t he boy had t aken from his fat her, because of t he possibilit y t hat t he
boy m ight wound him self. And it rem inded t he boy of t he day when he
had been ill and v om it ing out in t he fields, aft er w hich he had fallen
int o a deep sleep. There had been t w o t hieves fart her ahead w ho w ere
planning t o st eal t he boy's sheep and m urder him . But , since t he boy
hadn't passed by, t hey had decided t o m ove on, t hinking t hat he had
changed his rout e.

" Does a m an's heart always help him ?" t he boy asked t he alchem ist .

" Most ly j ust t he heart s of t hose w ho are t rying t o realize t heir Personal
Legends. But t hey do help children, drunkards, and t he elderly, t oo."

" Does t hat m ean t hat I 'll never run int o danger?"

" I t m eans only t hat t he heart does what it can," t he alchem ist said.
One aft ernoon, t hey passed by t he encam pm ent of one of t he t ribes.
At each corner of t he cam p were Arabs garbed in beaut iful whit e
robes, wit h arm s at t he ready. The m en were sm oking t heir hookahs
and t rading st ories from t he bat t lefield. No one paid any at t ent ion t o
t he t w o t r av eler s.

" There's no danger," t he boy said, when t hey had m oved on past t he
encam pm ent .

The alchem ist sounded angry: " Trust in your heart , but never forget
t hat you're in t he desert . When m en are at war wit h one anot her, t he
Soul of t he World can hear t he scream s of bat t le. No one fails t o suffer
t he consequences of everyt hing under t he Sun."

All t hings are one, t he boy t hought . And t hen, as if t he desert want ed
t o dem onst r ate t hat t he alchem ist was right , t wo horsem en appeared
fr om behind t he t r aveler s.

" You can't go any fart her," one of t hem said. " You're in t he area where
t he t r ibes ar e at w ar ."

"I 'm not going very far," t he alchem ist answered, looking st raight int o
t h e eyes of t he horsem en. They w ere silent for a m om ent , and t hen
agreed t hat t he boy and t he alchem ist could m ove along.

The boy wat ched t he exchange wit h fascinat ion. " You dom inat ed t hose
horsem en w it h t he w ay you looked at t hem ," he said.

" Your eyes show t he st r engt h of your soul," answ er ed t he alchem ist .

That 's t rue, t he boy t hought . He had not iced t hat , in t he m idst of t he
m ult it ude of arm ed m en back at t he encam pm ent , t here had been one
w ho st ar ed fix edly at t he t w o. He had been so far aw ay t hat his face
wasn't even visible. But t he boy was cert ain t hat he had been looking
at t hem .

Finally, when t hey had crossed t he m ount ain range t hat ext ended
along t he ent ir e hor izon, t he alchem ist said t hat t hey w er e only t w o
day s fr om t he Py r am ids.

" I f we're going t o go our separat e ways soon," t he boy said, " t hen
t each m e about alchem y."
" You already know about alchem y. I t is about penet rat ing t o t he Soul
of t he World, and discovering t he t reasure t hat has been reserved for
you."

" No, t hat 's not w hat I m ean. I 'm t alking about t ransform ing lead int o
gold."

The alchem ist fell as silent as t he desert , and answered t he boy only
aft er t hey had st opped t o eat .

" Everyt hing in t he universe evolved," he said. " And, for wise m en, gold
is t he m et al t hat evolved t he fur t hest . Don't ask m e why; I don't know
why. I j ust know t hat t he Tradit ion is always right .

" Men have never underst ood t he words of t he wise. So gold, inst ead of
being seen as a sym bol of evolut ion, becam e t he basis for conflict ."

" There are m any languages spoken by t hings," t he boy said. " Ther e
w as a t im e w hen, for m e, a cam el's w hinnying w as not hing m or e t han
whinnying. Then it becam e a signal of danger. And, finally, it becam e
j ust a w hinny again."

But t hen he st opped. The alchem ist probably already knew all t hat .

" I have known t rue alchem ist s," t he alchem ist cont inued.

" They locked t hem selves in t heir laborat ories, and t ried t o evolve, as
gold had. And t hey found t he Philosophers St one, because t hey
underst ood t hat w hen som et hing evolves, everyt hing arou nd t hat
t hing evolves as well.

" Ot hers st um bled upon t he st one by accident . They already had t he

gift , and t heir souls w ere readier for such t hings t han t he souls of
ot hers. But t hey don't count . They're quit e rare.

" And t hen t her e w er e t he ot her s, w ho wer e int er est ed only in gold.
They never found t he secret . They forgot t hat lead, copper, and iron
have t heir own Personal Legends t o fulfill. And anyone who int erferes
wit h t he Personal Legend of anot her t hing never will discover his own."
The alchem ist 's words echoed out like a curse. He reached over and
picked up a shell from t he ground. " This desert was once a sea," he
said. " I not iced t hat ," t he boy answ er ed. The alchem ist t old t he boy t o
place t he shell ov er his ear . He had done t hat m any t im es w hen he
w as a child, and had heard t he sound of t he sea.

" The sea has lived on in t his shell, because t hat 's it s Personal Legend.
And it will never cease doing so unt il t he desert is once again covered
by wat er."

They m ount ed t heir horses, and rode out in t he direct ion of t he

Pyram ids of Egypt .

~~~~~~~~~

The Sun was set t ing when t he boy's heart sounded a danger signal.
They were surrounded by gigant ic dunes, and t he boy looked at t he
alchem ist t o see w het her he had sensed anyt hing. But he appear ed t o
be unaware of any danger. Five m inut es lat er, t he boy saw t wo
horsem en wait ing ahead of t hem . Before he could say anyt hing t o t he
alchem ist , t he t wo horsem en had becom e t en, and t hen a hundred.
And t hen t hey were everywhere in t he dunes.

They were t ribesm en dressed in blue, wit h black rings surrounding

t heir t urbans. Their faces were hidden behind blue veils, wit h only
t heir eyes showing.

Even from a dist ance, t heir eyes conveyed t he st rengt h of t heir souls.
And t heir eyes spoke of deat h.

~~~~~~~~~

Th e t w o were t aken t o a nearby m ilit ary cam p. A soldier shoved t he

boy and t he alchem ist int o a t ent w here t he chief w as holding a
m eet ing wit h his st aff.

" These are t he spies," said one of t he m en.

" We're j ust t ravelers," t he alchem ist answered.

" You w ere seen at t he enem y cam p t hree days ago. And you were
t alking wit h one of t he t roops t here."
" I 'm j ust a m an who wanders t he desert and knows t he st ars," said
t he alchem ist . " I have no inform at ion about t roops or about t he
m ov em ent of t he t r ibes. I w as sim ply act ing as a guide for m y fr iend
here."

" Who is your friend?" t he chief asked.

" An alchem ist ," said t he alchem ist . " He underst ands t he forces of
nat ure. And he want s t o show you his ext raordinary powers."

The boy list ened quiet ly. And fearfully.

" What is a foreigner doing here?" asked anot her of t he m en.

" He has brought m oney t o give t o your t ribe," said t he alchem ist ,
before t he boy could say a word. And seizing t he boy's bag, t he
alchem ist gave t he gold coins t o t he chief.

The Ar ab accept ed t hem w it hout a w ord. There w as enough t here t o

buy a lot of w eapons.

" What is an alchem ist ?" he asked, finally.

" I t 's a m an who underst ands nat ure and die world. I f he want ed t o, he
could dest roy t his cam p j ust w it h t he force of t he w ind.

The m en laughed. They were used t o t he ravages of war, and knew

t hat t he wind could not deliver t hem a fat al blow. Yet each felt his
heart beat a bit fast er. They were m en of t he desert , and t hey were
fearful of sorcerers.

" I w ant t o see him do it ," said t he chief.

" He needs t hree day s," answ er ed die alchem ist . " He is going t o
t ransform him self int o die wind, j ust t o dem onst rat e his powers. I f he
can't do so, we hum bly offer you our lives, for t he honor of your t ribe."

"You can't offer m e som et hing t hat is already m ine," t he chi ef said,
arrogant ly. But he grant ed t he t ravelers t hree days.

The boy w as shaking w it h fear, but t he alchem ist helped him out of
t h e t en t .
" Don't let t hem see t hat you're afraid," t he alchem ist said. " They are
brave m en, and t hey despise cowards."

But t he boy couldn't even speak. He was able t o do so only aft er t hey
had walked t hrough t he cent er of t he cam p. There was no need t o
im prison t hem : t he Arabs sim ply confiscat ed t heir horses. So, once
again, t he world had dem onst rat ed it s m any languages: t he de sert
only m om ent s ago had been endless and free, and now it was an
im penet rable w all.

" You gave t hem everyt hing I had! " t he boy said. " Everyt hing I 've
saved in m y ent ire life! "

" Well, w hat good w ould it be t o y ou if y ou had t o die?" t he alchem ist

answere d. "Your m oney saved us for t hree days. I t 's not oft en t hat
m oney saves a person's life."

But t he boy was t oo fright ened t o list en t o words of wisdom . He had

no idea how he w as going t o t ransform him self int o t he w ind. He
w asn't an alchem ist !

The alchem i st asked one of t he soldiers for som e t ea, and poured
som e on t he boy's w r ist s. A w ave of r elief w ashed over him , and t he
alchem ist m ut t ered som e words t hat t he boy didn't underst and.

" Don't give in t o your fears," said t he alchem ist , in a st rangely gent le
voice. " I f you do, you won't be able t o t alk t o your heart ."

" But I have no idea how t o t urn m yself int o t he wind."

" I f a person is living out his Personal Legend, he knows everyt hing he
needs t o know . There is only one t hing t hat m akes a dream im possi ble
t o achieve: t he fear of failure."

" I 'm not afraid of failing. I t 's j ust t hat I don't know how t o t urn m yself
int o t he w ind."

" Well, you'll have t o learn; your life depends on it ."

" But w hat if I can't ?"

" Then you'll die in t he m idst of t rying t o re alize your Personal Legend.
That 's a lot bet t er t han dying like m illions of ot her people, who never
even knew what t heir Personal Legends were.
" But don't worry," t he alchem ist cont inued. " Usually t he t hreat of
deat h m akes people a lot m ore aware of t heir liv es."

~~~~~~~~~

The first day passed. t here was a m aj or bat t le nearby, and a num ber
of wounded were brought back t o t he cam p. The dead soldiers were
replaced by ot hers, and life w ent on. Deat h doesn't change anyt hing,
t he boy t hought .

" You could have died lat er on," a soldier said t o t he body of one of his
com panions. " You could have died aft er peace had been declared. But ,
in any case, you were going t o die."

At t he end of t he day, t he boy went looking for t he alchem ist , who had
t aken his falcon out int o t he deser t .

" I st ill have no idea how t o t ur n m yself int o t he w ind," t he boy

r epeat ed.

" Rem em ber w hat I t old you: t he w or ld is only t he visible aspect of

God. And t hat what alchem y does is t o bring spirit ual perfect ion int o
cont act wit h t he m at eria l plane."

" What ar e y ou doing?"

" Feeding m y falcon."

" I f I 'm not able t o t urn m yself int o t he wind, we're going t o die," t he
boy said. " Why feed your falcon?"

"You're t he one who m ay die," t he alchem ist said. "I already know how
t o t urn m yself int o t he wind."

~~~~~~~~~
On t he second day, t he boy clim bed t o t he t op of a cliff near t he cam p.
The sent inels allowed him t o go; t hey had already heard about t he
sorcerer who could t urn him self int o t he wind, and t hey didn't want t o
go near him . I n any case, t he desert w as im passable.

He spent t he ent ir e aft er noon of t he second day look ing out ov er t he

desert , and list ening t o his heart . The boy knew t he desert sensed his
fear.

They bot h spoke t he sam e language.

~~~~~~~~~

On t he t hird day, t he chief m et wit h his officers.

He called t he alchem ist t o t he m eet ing and said, " Let 's go see t he boy
w ho t ur ns him self int o t he w ind."

" Let 's," t he alchem ist answered.

The boy t ook t hem t o t he cliff where he had been on t he previous day.
He t old t hem all t o be seat ed.

" I t 's going t o t ake a while," t he boy said.

" We're in no hurry," t he chief answered. " We are m en of t he desert ."

The boy looked out at t he horizon. There were m ount ains in t he

dist ance. And t here were dunes, rocks, and plant s t hat insist ed on
l iving where survival seem ed im possible. There was t he desert t hat he
had wandered for so m any m ont hs; despit e all t hat t im e, he knew only
a sm all part of it . Wit hin t hat sm all part , he had found an Englishm an,
car avans, t r ibal w ar s, and an oasis w it h fift y t housand palm t rees and
t hree hundred w ells.

" What do you want here t oday?" t he desert asked him . " Didn't you
spend enough t im e looking at m e yest er day?"

" Som ewhere you are holding t he person I love," t he boy said. " So,
w hen I look out ov er y our sands, I am also look ing at her . I w ant t o
ret urn t o her, and I need your help so t hat I can t urn m yself int o t he
w ind."

" What is love?" t he desert asked.

" Love is t he falcon's flight over your sands. Because for him , you are a
green field, from w hich he alw ays ret urns wit h gam e. He knows your
rocks, your dunes, and your m ount ains, and you are generous t o him ."

" The falcons beak carries bit s of m e, m yself," t he desert said. " For
years, I care for his gam e, feeding it wit h t he lit t le wat er t hat I have,
and t hen I show him where t he gam e is. And, one day, as I enj oy t he
fact t hat his gam e t hrives on m y surface, t he falcon dives out of t he
sky, and t akes away what I 've creat ed."

" But t hat 's why you creat ed t he gam e in t he first place," t he boy
answered. " To nourish t he falcon. And t he falcon t hen nourishes m an.
And, event ually, m an w ill nourish your sands, w here t he gam e w ill
once again flourish. That 's how t he world goes."

" So is t hat w hat lov e is?"

" Yes, t hat 's what love is. I t 's what m akes t he gam e becom e t he falcon,
t he falcon becom e m an, and m an, in his t urn, t he desert . I t 's what
t urns lead int o gold, and m akes t he gold ret urn t o t he eart h."

" I don't underst and what you're t alking about ," t he desert said.

" But you can at least underst and t hat som ewhere in your sands t here
is a wom an wait ing for m e. And t hat 's why I have t o t urn m yself int o
t he w ind."

The desert didn't answer him for a few m om ent s.

Then it t old him , " I 'll give you m y sands t o help t he wind t o blow, but ,
alone, I can't do anyt hing. You have t o ask for help from t he wind."

A br eeze began t o blow . The t r ibesm en w at ched t he boy fr om a

dist ance, t alking am ong t hem selves in a language t hat t he boy
couldn't underst and.

The alchem ist sm iled.

The w ind appr oached t he boy and t ouched his face. I t knew of t he
boy's t alk wit h t he desert , because t he winds know everyt hing. They
blow across t he world wit hout a birt hplace, and wit h no place t o die.
" Help m e," t he boy said. " One day y ou car r ied t he v oice of m y lov ed
one t o m e."

" Who t aught you t o speak t he language of t he desert and t he wind?"

" My heart ," t he boy answered.

The w ind has m any nam es. I n t hat par t of t he w or ld, it w as called t he
sirocco, because it brought m oist ure from t he oceans t o t he east . I n
t he dist ant land t he boy cam e from , t hey called it t he levant er ,
because t hey believed t hat it brought w it h it t he sands of t he desert ,
and t he scream s of t he Moorish wars. Perhaps, in t he places beyond
t he past ures w here his sheep lived, m en t hought t hat t he w ind cam e
from Andalusia. But , act ually, t he wind cam e from no place at all, nor
did it go t o any place; t hat 's w hy it w as st r onger t han t he deser t .
Som eone m ight one day plant t rees in t he desert , and even raise
sheep t here, but never would t hey harness t he wind.

" You can't be t he wind," t he wind said. "We're t wo very different

t hings."

" That 's not t r ue," t he boy said. " I lear ned t he alchem ist 's secr et s in m y
t ravels. I have inside m e t he w inds, t he desert s, t he oceans, t he st ars,
and everyt hing creat ed in t he universe. We w ere all m ade by t he sam e
hand, and w e have t he sam e soul. I w ant t o be like you, able t o r each
ever y cor ner of t he w or ld, cr oss t he seas, blow aw ay t he sands t hat
cover m y t reasure, and carry t he voice of t he wom an I love."

" I heard what you were t alking about t he ot her da y wit h t he

alchem ist ," t he wind said. " He said t hat everyt hing has it s own
Personal Legend. But people can't t urn t hem selves int o t he wind."

" Just t each m e t o be t he w ind for a few m om ent s," t he boy said. " So
you and I can t alk about t he lim it less possibilit ies of people and t he
winds."

The wind's curiosit y was aroused, som et hing t hat had never happened
befor e. I t w ant ed t o t alk about t hose t hings, but it didn't k now how t o
t urn a m an int o t he w ind. And look how m any t hings t he w ind already
knew how t o do ! I t creat ed desert s, sank ships, felled ent ire forest s,
and blew t hrough cit ies filled wit h m usic and st range noises. I t felt t hat
it had no lim it s, yet here w as a boy saying t hat t here w ere ot her
t hings t he wind should be able t o do.
" This is w hat w e ca ll love," t he boy said, seeing t hat t he wind was
close t o grant ing what he request ed. " When you are loved, you can do
anyt hing in creat ion. When you are loved, t here's no need at all t o
underst and what 's happening, because everyt hing happens wit hin you,
and even m en can t urn t hem selves int o t he wind. As long as t he wind
helps, of course."

The w ind w as a proud being, and it w as becom ing irrit at ed w it h w hat

t he boy was saying. I t com m enced t o blow harder, raising t he desert
sands. But finally it had t o r ecognize t hat , even m aking it s way around
t he world, it didn't know how t o t urn a m an int o t he wind. And it knew
not hing about love.

" I n m y t ravels around t he world, I 've oft en seen people speaking of

love and looking t oward t he heavens," t he wind said, furio us at having
t o acknowledge it s own lim it at ions. " Maybe it 's bet t er t o ask heaven."

" Well t hen, help m e do t hat ," t he boy said. " Fill t his place w it h a
sandst orm so st rong t hat it blot s out t he sun. Then I can look t o
heaven wit hout blinding m yself"

So t he wind blew wit h all it s st rengt h, and t he sky was filled wit h sand.
The sun was t urned int o a golden disk.

At t he cam p, it w as difficult t o see anyt hing. The m en of t he desert

w ere already fam iliar w it h t hat w ind. They called it t he sim um , and it
was wo rse t han a st orm at sea. Their horses cried out , and all t heir
weapons were filled wit h sand. On t he height s, one of t he com m anders
t urned t o t he chief and said, " Maybe we had bet t er end t his! "

They could bar ely see t he boy. Their faces w er e cover ed w it h t he blue
clot hs, and t heir eyes showed fear.

" Let 's st op t his," anot her com m ander said.

" I w ant t o see t he great ness of Allah," t he chief said, w it h respect . " I
want t o see how a m an t urns him self int o t he wind."

But he m ade a m ent al not e of t he nam es of t he t wo m en who had

expr essed t heir fear . As soon as t he w ind st opped, he w as going t o
rem ove t hem from t heir com m ands, because t rue m en of t he desert
are not afraid.
" The w ind t old m e t hat you know about love," t he boy said t o t he sun.
" I f you know about love, you m ust also know about t he Soul of t he
World, because it 's m ade of love."

" Fr om w her e I am ," t he sun said, " I can see t he Soul of t he Wor ld. I t
com m unicat es wit h m y soul, and t oget her we cause t he plant s t o grow
and t he sheep t o seek out shade. Fr om w her e I am- and I 'm a long
way from t he eart h- I learned how t o love. I know t hat if I cam e even a
lit t le bit closer t o t he ear t h, ever yt hing t her e w ould die, and t he Soul
of t he World would no longer exist . So we cont em plat e each ot her, and
w e w ant ea ch ot her, and I give it life and warm t h, and it gives m e m y
reason for living."

" So you know about love," t he boy said.

" And I know t he Soul of t he World, because we have t alked at great

lengt h t o each ot her during t his endless t rip t hrough t he universe. I t
t ells m e t hat it s great est problem is t hat , up unt il now, only t he
m inerals and veget ables underst and t hat all t hings are one. That
t her e's no need for ir on t o be t he sam e as copper , or copper t he sam e
as gold. Each perform s it s ow n exact funct ion as a unique being, and
ever yt hing w ould be a sym phony of peace if t he hand t hat w r ot e all
t his had st opped on t he fift h day of creat ion.

" But t here was a sixt h day," t he sun went on.

" You are wise, because you observe everyt hing from a dist ance," t he
boy sai d. " But you don't know about love. I f t here hadn't been a sixt h
day, m an would not exist ; copper would always be j ust copper, and
lead j ust lead. I t 's t r ue t hat ever yt hing has it s Per sonal Legend, but
one day t hat Personal Legend will be realized. So each t hing has t o
t ransform it self int o som et hing bet t er, and t o acquire a new Personal
Legend, unt il, som eday, t he Soul of t he World becom es one t hing
only."

The Sun t hought about t hat , and decided t o shine m ore bright ly. The
w ind, w hich w as enj oy ing t he conversat ion, st art ed t o blow wit h
great er force, so t hat t he sun would not blind t he boy.

" This is w hy alchem y exist s," t he boy said. " So t hat everyone w ill
search for his t reasure, find it , and t hen want t o be bet t er t han he was
in his for m er life. Lead w ill play it s role unt il t he world has no furt her
need for lead; and t hen lead will have t o t urn it self int o gold.
" That 's what alchem ist s do. They show t hat , when we st rive t o becom e
bet t er t han we are, everyt hing around us becom es bet t er, t oo."

" Well, w hy did you say t hat I don't know about love?" t he sun asked
t he boy.

" Because it 's not love t o be st at ic like t he deser t , nor is it love t o r oam
t he w or ld like t he w ind. And it 's not love t o see ever yt hing fr om a
dist ance, lik e y ou do. Lov e is t he for ce t hat t r ansfor m s and im pr ov es
t he Soul of t he World. When I first reached t hrough t o it , I t hought t he
Soul of t he World was perfect . But lat er, I could see t hat it was like
ot her aspect s of creat ion, and had it s own passions and wars. I t is we
who nourish t he Soul of t he Wor ld, and t he w or ld w e liv e in w ill be
eit her bet t er or worse, depending on whet her we becom e bet t er or
worse. And t hat 's where t he power of love com es in. Because when we
love, we always st rive t o becom e bet t er t han we are."

" So what do you want of m e?" t he sun asked.

" I want you t o help m e t urn m yself int o t he wind," t he boy answered.

" Nat ure knows m e as t he wisest being in creat ion," t he sun said. " But I
don't know how t o t urn you int o t he wind."

" Then, whom should I ask?"

The Sun t hought for a m inut e. The w ind w as list ening closely , and
want ed t o t ell every corner of t he world t hat t he sun's wisdom had it s
lim it at ions. That it was unable t o deal wit h t his boy who spoke t he
Language of t he World.

" Speak t o t he hand t hat wrot e all," sai d t he sun.

The w ind scream ed w it h delight , and blew harder t han ever. The t ent s
w ere being blow n from t heir t ies t o t he eart h, and t he anim als w ere
being freed from t heir t et hers. On t he cliff, t he m en clut ched at each
ot her as t hey sought t o keep from being blown away.

The boy t urned t o t he hand t hat wrot e all. As he did so, he sensed t hat
t he universe had fallen silent , and he decided not t o speak.

A cur r ent of lov e r ushed fr om his hear t , and t he boy began t o pr ay . I t

was a prayer t hat he had never sai d before, because it was a prayer
w it hout w ords or pleas. His prayer didn't give t hanks for his sheep
having found new past ures; it didn't ask t hat t he boy be able t o sell
m or e cr yst al; and it didn't beseech t hat t he w om an he had m et
cont inue t o aw ait his ret urn. I n t he silence, t he boy underst ood t hat
t he deser t , t he w ind, and t he sun w er e also t r ying t o under st and t he
signs w rit t en by t he hand, and w ere seeking t o follow t heir pat hs, and
t o underst and w hat had been w rit t en on a single em erald. He saw t hat
om ens were scat t ered t hroughout t he eart h and in space, and t hat
t here was no reason or significance at t ached t o t heir appearance; he
could see t hat not t he desert s, nor t he winds, nor t he sun, nor people
knew why t hey had been creat ed. But t hat t he hand had a reason for
all of t his, and t hat only t he hand could perform m iracles, or t ransform
t he sea int o a deser t ... or a m an int o t he w ind. Because only t he hand
underst ood t hat it w as a larger design t hat had m oved t he universe t o
t he point at which six da ys of creat ion had evolved int o a Mast er Work.

The boy r eached t hr ough t o t he Soul of t he Wor ld, and saw t hat it w as
a par t of t he Soul of God. And he saw t hat t he Soul of God w as his
own soul. And t hat he, a boy, could perform m iracles.

~~~~~~~~~

The sim um blew t hat day as it had never blown before. For
generat ions t hereaft er, t he Arabs recount ed t he legend of a boy who
had t urned him self int o t he wind, alm ost dest roying a m ilit ary cam p, in
defiance of t he m ost pow er ful chief in t he deser t .

When t he si m um ceased t o blow, everyone looked t o t he place where

t he boy had been. But he was no longer t here; he was st anding next
t o a san d-covered sent inel, on t he far side of t he cam p.

The m en were t errified at his sorcery. But t here were t wo people who
were sm iling: t he alchem ist , because he had found his perfect disciple,
and t he chief, because t hat disciple had underst ood t he glory of God.

The following day, t he general bade t he boy and t he alchem ist

farew ell, and provided t hem w it h an escort part y t o accom pany t hem
as far as t hey chose.

~~~~~~~~~

They rode for t he ent ire day. Toward t he end of t he aft ernoon, t hey
cam e upon a Copt ic m onast ery. The alchem ist dism ount ed, and t old
t he escort s t hey could ret urn t o t he cam p.
" Fr om her e on, y ou w ill be alone," the alchem ist said. "You are only
t hree hours from t he Pyram ids."

" Thank you," said t he boy. " You t aught m e t he Language of t he

World."

" I only invoked what you already knew."

The alchem ist knocked on t he gat e of t he m onast ery. A m onk dressed

in black cam e t o t he gat es. They spoke for a few m inut es in t he Copt ic
t ongue, and t he alchem ist bade t he boy ent er.

" I asked him t o let m e use t he kit chen for a w hile," t he alchem ist
sm iled.

They went t o t he kit chen at t he back of t he m onast ery. The alchem ist
light ed t he fir e, and t he m onk br ought him som e lead, w hich t he
alchem ist placed in an iron pan. When t he lead had becom e liquid, t he
alchem ist t ook from his pouch t he st range yellow egg. He scraped
from it a sliver as t hin as a hair, wrapped it in wax, and ad ded it t o t he
pan in which t he lead had m elt ed.

The m ixt ure t ook on a reddish color, alm ost t he color of blood. The
alchem ist rem oved t he pan from t he fire, and set it aside t o cool. As
he did so, he t alked w it h t he m onk about t he t ribal w ars.

" I t hink t hey're going t o last for a long t im e," he said t o t he m onk.

The m onk was irrit at ed. The caravans had been st opped at Giza for
som e t im e, wait ing for t he wars t o end. " But God's will be done," t he
m onk said.

" Exact ly," answered t he alchem ist .

Wh en t h e pan had cooled, t he m onk and t he boy looked at it , dazzled.

The lead had dried int o t he shape of t he pan, but it w as no longer
lead. I t was gold.

" Will I learn t o do t hat som eday?" t he boy asked.

" This was m y Personal Legend, not yours," t he alchem ist answered.
" But I w ant ed t o show you t hat it w as possible."
They ret urned t o t he gat es of t he m onast ery. There, t he alchem ist
separ at ed t he disk int o four par t s.

" This is for you," he said, holding one of t he part s out t o t he m onk.
" I t 's for your generosit y t o t he pilgrim s."

" But t his paym ent goes w ell beyond m y generosit y," t he m onk
responded.

" Don't say t hat again. Life m ight be list ening, and give you less t he
next t im e."

The alchem ist t urned t o t he boy. " This is for you. To m ake up for what
you gave t o t he general."

The boy was about t o say t hat it was m uch m ore t han he had given
t he general. But he kept quiet , because he had heard what t he
alchem ist said t o t he m onk.

" And t his is for m e," said t he alchem ist , keeping one of t he part s.
" Because I have t o ret urn t o t he desert , where t here are t ribal wars."

He t ook t he fourt h part and handed it t o t he m onk.

" This is for t he boy. I f he ever needs it ."

" But I 'm going in search of m y t reasure," t he boy said. " I 'm very close
t o it now . "

"And I 'm cert ain yo u'll find it ," t he alchem ist said.

" Then w hy t his?"

" Because you have already lost your savings t w ice. Once t o t he t hief,
and once t o t he general. I 'm an old, superst it ious Arab, and I believe
in our proverbs. There's one t hat says, 'Everyt hing t hat happens once
can never happen again. But ever yt hing t hat happens t w ice w ill sur ely
happen a t hird t im e.'" They m ount ed t heir horses.

~~~~~~~~~
" I w ant t o t ell you a st ory about dream s," said t he alchem ist .

The boy brought his horse closer.

" I n ancient Rom e, at t he t im e of Em peror Tiberius, t here lived a good

m an w ho had t w o sons. One w as in t he m ilit ar y, and had been sent t o
t he m ost dist ant regions of t he em pire. The ot her son was a poet , and
delight ed all of Rom e wit h his beaut iful verses.

" One night , t he fat her had a dream . An angel appeared t o him , and
t old him t hat t he w ords of one of his sons w ould be learned and
repeat ed t hroughout t he world for all generat ions t o com e. The fat her
w oke from his dream grat eful and crying, because life w as generous,
and had revealed t o him som et hing any fat her would be proud t o
know.

" Short ly t hereaft er, t he fat her died as he t ried t o save a child who was
about t o be crushed by t he wheels of a chariot . Since he had lived his
ent ire life in a m anner t hat w as correct and fair, he went direct ly t o
heaven, where he m et t he angel t hat had appeared in his dream .

'" You w ere alw ays a good m an," t he angel said t o him . 'You lived your
life in a loving way, and died wit h dignit y. I can now grant you any
wish you desire.'

'"Life w as good t o m e,' t he m an said. 'When you appear ed in m y

dream , I felt t hat all m y effort s had been rew arded, because m y son's
poem s will be read by m en for generat ions t o com e. I don't want
anyt hing for m yself. But any fat her w ould be pr oud of t he fam e
achieved by one whom he had cared for as a child, and educat ed as he
grew up. Som et im e in t he dist ant fut ure, I would like t o see m y son's
words.'

" The angel t ouched t he m an's shoulder, and t hey were bot h proj ect ed
far int o t he fut ure. They w ere in an im mense set t ing, surrounded by
t housands of people speaking a st range language.

" The m an wept wit h happiness.

'" I knew t hat m y son's poem s w ere im m ort al,' he said t o t he angel
t hrough his t ears. 'Can you please t ell m e which of m y son's poem s
t hese people are repeat ing?'
" The angel cam e closer t o t he m an, and, wit h t enderness, led him t o a
bench nearby, where t hey sat down.

'" The verses of your son who was t he poet were very popular in
Rom e,' t he angel said. 'Everyone loved t hem and enj oyed t hem . But
w hen t he reign of Tiberius ended, his poem s were forgot t en. The
words you're hearing now are t hose of your son in t he m ilit ary.'

" The m an looked at t he angel in surprise. '" Your son went t o serve at a
dist ant place, and becam e a cent urion. He w as j ust and good. One
aft er noon, one of his ser vant s fell ill, and it appear ed t hat he w ould
die. Your son had hear d of a r abbi w ho w as able t o cur e illnesses, and
he rode out for days and days in search of t his m an. Along t he way, he
lear ned t hat t he m an he w as seek ing was t he Son of God. He m et
ot hers who had been cured by him , and t hey inst ruct ed your son in
t he m an's t eachings. And so, despit e t he fact t hat he was a Rom an
cent urion, he convert ed t o t heir fait h. Short ly t hereaft er, he reached
t he place where t he m an he was looking for was visit ing.'

'" He t old t he m an t hat one of his servant s w as gravely ill, and t he

rabbi m ade ready t o go t o his house wit h him . But t he cent urion was a
m an of fait h, and, looking int o t he eyes of t he rabbi, he knew t hat he
w as sur ely in t he pr esence of t he Son of God.'

'" And t his is what your son said,' t he angel t old t he m an. 'These are
t he w or ds he said t o t he r abbi at t hat point , and t hey have never been
forgot t en: "My Lord, I am not wort hy t hat you should com e under m y
r oof. But only speak a word and m y servant will be healed.'""

The alchem ist said, " No m at t er what he does, every person on eart h
plays a cent ral role in t he hist ory of t he world. And norm ally he doesn't
know it ."

The boy sm iled. He had never im agined t hat quest ions about life would
be of such im port ance t o a shepherd.

" Good- bye," t he alchem ist said.

" Good- bye," said t he boy.

~~~~~~~~~
The boy rode along t hrough t he desert for several hours, list ening
avidly t o what his heart had t o say. I t was his heart t hat would t ell him
where his t reasure was hidden.

" Wher e your t r easur e is, t her e also w ill be your hear t ," t he alchem ist
had t old him .

But his hear t w as speaking of ot her t hings. Wit h pr ide, it t old t he st or y

of a shepherd who had left his flock t o follow a dream he had on t wo
different occasions. I t t old of Personal Legend, and of t he m any m en
w ho had w andered in search of dist ant lands or beaut iful w om en,
confront ing t he people of t heir t im es wit h t heir preconceived not ions.
I t spoke of j ourneys, discoveries, books, and change.

As he w as about t o clim b yet anot her dune, his heart w hispered, " Be
aw ar e of t he place w her e you ar e br ought t o t ear s. That 's w her e I am ,
and t hat 's where your t reasure is."

The boy clim bed t he dune slowly. A full m oon rose again in t he st arry
sky: it had been a m ont h since he had set fort h from t he oasis. The
m oonlight cast shadows t hrough t he dunes, creat ing t he appearance of
a rolling sea; it rem inded t he boy of t he day w hen t hat horse had
reared in t he desert , and he had com e t o know t he alchem ist . And t he
m oon fell on t he deser t s silence, and on a m an's j our ney in sear ch of
t r easur e.

When he r eached t he t op of t he dune, his hear t leapt . Ther e,

illum inat ed by t he light of t he m oon and t he bright ness of t he desert ,
st ood t he solem n and m aj est ic Pyram ids of Egypt .

The boy fell t o his knees and wept . He t hanked God for m aking him
believe in his Per sonal Legend, and for leading him t o m eet a king, a
m erchant , an Englishm an, and an alchem ist . And above all for his
hav ing m et a w om an of t he desert w ho had t old him t hat love w ould
never keep a m an from his Personal Legend.

I f he want ed t o, he could now ret urn t o t he oasis, go back t o Fat im a,

and liv e his life as a sim ple shepher d. Aft er all, t he alchem ist
cont inued t o live in t he desert , even t hough he underst ood t he
Language of t he World, and knew how t o t ransform lead int o gold. He
didn't need t o dem onst rat e his science and art t o anyone. The boy t old
him self t hat , on t he w ay t ow ard realizing his ow n Personal Legend, he
had learned all he needed t o know, and had experienced everyt hing he
m ight have dream ed of.
But her e he w as, at t he point of finding his t r easur e, and he r em inded
him self t hat no proj ect is com plet ed unt il it s obj ect ive has been
achieved. The boy looked at t he sands around hi m , and saw t hat ,
where his t ears had fallen, a scarab beet le was scut t ling t hrough t he
sand. During his t im e in t he desert , he had learned t hat , in Egypt , t he
scarab beet les are a sym bol of God.

Anot her om en! The boy began t o dig int o t he dune. As he did so, he
t hought of what t he cryst al m erchant had once said: t hat anyone could
build a pyram id in his backyard. The boy could see now t hat he
couldn't do so if he placed st one upon st one for t he rest of his life.

Throughout t he night , t he boy dug at t he place he had chosen, but

found not hing. He felt weight ed down by t he cent uries of t im e since
t he Pyram ids had been built . But he didn't st op. He st ruggled t o
cont inue digging as he fought t he w ind, w hich oft en blew t he sand
back int o t he excavat ion. His hands were abraded and exhaust ed, but
he list ened t o his heart . I t had t old him t o dig where his t ears fell.

As he w as at t em pt ing t o pull out t he r ock s he encount er ed, he hear d

foot st eps. Several figures approached him . Their backs were t o t he
m oonlight , and t he boy could see neit her t heir eyes nor t heir faces.

" What are you doing here?" one of t he figures dem anded.

Because he w as t er r ified, t he boy didn't answ er . He had found w her e

his t reasure was, and was fright ened at what m ight happen.

" We'r e r efugees from t he t ribal w ars, and w e need m oney," t he ot her
figure said. " What are you hiding t here?" " I 'm not hiding anyt hing,"
t he boy answ er ed. But one of t hem seized t he boy and yanked him
back out of t he hole. Anot her, who was searching t he boy's bags,
found t he piece of gold.

"There's gold here," he said.

The m oon shone on t he face of t he Arab w ho had seized him , and in

t he m an's eyes t he boy saw deat h.

" He's probably got m ore gold hidden in t he ground." They m ade t he
boy cont inue digging, but he found not hing. As t he sun rose, t he m en
began t o beat t he boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his clot hing was
t orn t o shreds, and he felt t hat deat h was near.
" What good is m oney t o you if you're going t o die? I t 's not oft en t hat
m oney can save som eone's life," t he alchem ist had said. Finally, t he
boy scream ed at t he m en, " I 'm digging for t reasure.'" And, alt hough
his m out h was bleeding and swollen, he t old his at t ackers t hat he had
t wice dream ed of a t reasure hidden near t he Pyram ids of Egypt .

The m an who appeared t o be t he leader of t he group spoke t o one of

t he ot hers: " Leave him . He doesn't have anyt hing else. He m ust have
st olen t his gold."

The boy fell t o t he sand, nearly unconscious. The leader shook him and
said, " We're leaving."

But before t hey left , he ca m e back t o t he boy and said, " You're not
going t o die. You'll liv e, and y ou'll lear n t hat a m an shouldn't be so
st upid. Two years ago, right here on t his spot , I had a recurrent
dr eam , t oo. I dr eam ed t hat I should t r av el t o t he fields of Spain and
look for a ruined church where shepherds and t heir sheep slept . I n m y
dream , t here was a sycam ore growing out of t he ruins of t he sacrist y,
and I w as t old t hat , if I dug at t he r oot s of t he sycam or e, I w ould find
a hidden t reasure. But I 'm not so st upid as t o cross an ent ire desert
j ust because of a recurrent dream ."

And t hey disappeared.

The boy st ood up shakily, and looked once m ore at t he Pyram ids. They
seem ed t o laugh at him , and he laughed back, his heart burst ing wit h
joy.

Because now he knew where his t reasur e w as.

 Epilogue

The boy reached t he sm all, abandoned church j ust as night was falling.
The sycam ore was st ill t here in t he sacrist y, and t he st ars could st ill be
seen t hrough t he half -dest royed roof. He rem em bered t he t im e he had
been t her e wit h his sheep; it had been a peaceful night ... except for
t he dream .

Now he was here not wit h his flock, but wit h a shovel.

He sat looking at t he sky for a long t im e. Then he t ook from his

k napsack a bot t le of w ine, and dr ank som e. He r em em ber ed t he night
in t he desert w hen he had sat w it h t he alchem ist , as t hey looked at
t he st ar s and dr ank w ine t oget her . He t hought of t he m any r oads he
had t r av eled, and of t he st r ange w ay God had chosen t o show him his
t r easur e. I f he hadn't believ ed in t he significance of recurrent dream s,
he w ould not have m et t he Gypsy w om an, t he king, t he t hief, or ...
" Well, it 's a long list . But t he pat h w as w r it t en in t he om ens, and t her e
was no way I could go wrong," he said t o him self.

He fell asleep, and when he awoke t he sun was already high. He began
t o dig at t he base of t he sycam ore.

" You old sorcerer," t he boy shout ed up t o t he sky. " You knew t he
whole st ory. You even left a bit of gold at t he m onast ery so I could get
back t o t his chur ch. The m onk laughed w hen he saw m e com e back in
t at t ers. Couldn't you have saved m e from t hat ?"

" No," he heard a voice on t he wind say. " I f I had t old you, you
wouldn't have seen t he Pyram ids. They're beaut iful, aren't t hey?"

The boy sm iled, and cont inued digging. Half an hour lat er, his shovel
hit som et hing solid. An hour lat er, he had before him a chest of
Spanish gold coins. There were also precious st ones, gold m asks
adorned wit h red and whit e feat hers, and st one st at ues em bedded
w it h j ew els. The spoils of a conquest t hat t he count r y had long ago
forgot t en, and t hat som e conquist ador had failed t o t ell his children
abou t .

The boy t ook out Ur im and Thum m im fr om his bag. He had used t he
t wo st ones only once, one m orning when he was at a m arket place. His
life and his pat h had always provi ded him wit h enough om ens.
He placed Urim and Thum m im in t he chest . They w ere also a part of
his new t reasure, because t hey were a rem inder of t he old king, whom
he would never see again.

I t 's t r ue; life r eally is gener ous t o t hose w ho pur sue t heir Per sonal
Legend, t he boy t hought . Then he rem em bered t hat he had t o get t o
Tarifa so he could give one -t ent h of his t r easur e t o t he Gy psy w om an,
as he had prom ised. " Those Gypsies are really sm art , he t hought .
Maybe it was because t hey m oved around so m uch.

The wind began t o blow again. I t was t he levant er, t he wind t hat cam e
from Africa. I t didn't bring wit h it t he sm ell of t he desert , nor t he
t hreat of Moorish invasion. I nst ead, it brought t he scent of a perfum e
he knew well, and t he t ouch of a kiss- a kiss t hat cam e from far away,
slowly, slowly, unt il it rest ed on his lips.

The boy sm iled. I t w as t he first t im e she had done t hat .

" I 'm com ing, Fat im a," he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The owner of Fun Park com m ent ed on t he irony of t he fact t hat while
t he kids had a great t im e at his park he him self was habit ually
depressed.

"Would you rat her own t he park or have t he fun?" said t he Mast er.

" I want bot h."

The Mast er m ade no reply.

When quest ioned about it lat er, t he Mast er quot ed t he w ords of a

t r am p t o a w ealt hy landowner: " You own t he propert y. Ot hers enj oy
t he landscape."

~ Ant hony de Mello ~

Nost algia is like a gram m ar lesson: You find t he present t ense and t he
past per fect .

~ Unknow n ~
A single sunbeam is enough t o drive away m any shadows.

~ St . Francis of Assisi ~

I t 's bet t er t o light one candle t han t o curse t he darkness.

~ Unknow n ~

The t r ut h t hat m any people nev er under st and, unt il it is t oo lat e, is

t hat t he m ore you t ry t o avoid suffering t he m ore you suffer because
sm aller and m ore insignificant t hings begin t o t ort ure you in proport ion
t o your fear of being hurt .

~ Thom as Mert on ~

Only t o t he ext ent t hat we expose ourselves t o annihilat ion over and
over can t hat which is indest ruct ible be found in us.

~ Unknow n ~