The crystal merchant serves as an important friend to Santiago during Santiago's time in Tangier, but he also functions as a cautionary case of someone who has become complacent and given up the pursuit of his Personal Legend. The crystal merchant is the most fully fleshed-out irredeemable character in The Alchemist.People also ask, what does the crystal merchant teach Santiago in The Alchemist?
The crystal merchant teaches Santiago about the Personal Legend. Ironically he had given it up on his Personal Legend. In return, Santiago teaches him tricks of the trade for his crystal business, which makes him a prosperous merchant of Tangier, the desert port.
One may also ask, who is the crystal merchant? Crystal Merchant A middle-aged resident of Tangier, he hires Santiago to work in his shop. The crystal merchant's Personal Legend is to make a pilgrimage (or haj) to Mecca, but he knows he will never fulfill this dream. He is Santiago's foil, a character who characterizes another by contrast.
Simply so, what religion does the crystal merchant practice?
Once he desired to travel to Mecca, one of the five acts required of a devout Muslim. But even after Santiago's changes to the crystal business have brought in enough money to make that possible, the crystal merchant does not seek Mecca. He has abandoned his Personal Legend.
Why does the crystal merchant feed Santiago?
When Santiago finishes, the crystal merchant takes him to a café. He explains that Santiago didn't need to clean, because the Koran orders him to feed the hungry. The crystal merchant says it was a good omen that customers entered while Santiago cleaned and offers Santiago a job.
What effect does Santiago have on the crystal merchant?
List all the different ways, Santiago has an effect on the merchant. He has expanded the shop by convincing him to sell tea, he has taught him about omens, and the merchant tells him that he wants to live imagining about going to Mecca. You just studied 8 terms!Where did Santiago meet the crystal merchant?
Summary and Analysis Part 1: Crystal Merchant Episode (I) Santiago crosses the Strait of Gibraltar and finds himself in Tangier, a city in northern Morocco, where a man he meets in a bar swindles him out of all his money.What is an alchemyst?
Alchemist: Someone Who Transforms Things for the Better Alchemy and alchemist are in fact older words than chemistry and chemist in English. Their secretive experiments, usually involving heat and the mixing of liquids, led to the development of pharmacology and the rise of modern chemistry.Who is Fatima in the Alchemist?
Fatima. Fatima is the girl that almost distracts Santiago from his dream of reaching the pyramids and his treasure. She's so pretty, and he's so in love with her, that he almost decides to just stay at the oasis and take her instead of the treasure. (You know, because women and treasure are pretty much exchangeable.Who is the Englishman searching for?
The Englishman is an important link in the chain leading Santiago to his treasure. Like Santiago, the Englishman is searching for his Personal Legend. Unlike Santiago, the Englishman learns best from books. He has spent a long time in university.Why does the author include the merchant in the story?
Why does the author include the merchant in the story? He represents an everyday man, good, and hardworking and it shows the way he works. Give an example of Santiago's lively approach to business and the crystal merchant's caution. He wants to sell tea to the people who climb the hill.What are the stones called in the Alchemist?
Melchizedek gives Santiago two stones from the breastplate. He says the stones are called Urim and Thummim and they represent “yes” and “no.” They will help Santiago to read omens.What is the world's greatest lie in the Alchemist?
"What is the world's greatest lie?" the little boy asks. The old man replies, "It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate.What is the soul of the world?
The 'Soul of the World' is a title given to the spiritual force in 'The Alchemist' that unites mankind with nature as equals and governs all things as one.How does Santiago build the crystal business?
Santiago comes up with the idea of promoting the crystal merchant's business by building a display case outside the shop; he thinks it will attract more customers. The crystal merchant was always reluctant to do this as he was worried that people might bump into a display case and smash his precious wares.What is a personal legend?
A Personal Legend is your life's spiritual purpose. It's a spiritual calling that awakens a deep desire and passion to live with a sense of purpose for something greater than yourself.Does Santiago become an alchemist?
Invoking the main symbol of the book, he explains that alchemy involves coaxing lead to live out its Personal Legend of evolving into gold. Finally, Santiago, in something like his notion of alchemy, transforms himself literally into the wind.Who helped Santiago in The Alchemist?
Melchizedek
What did the crystal merchant tell Santiago during their final good bye?
The crystal merchant says he will not go to Mecca, and Santiago will not go home. Santiago asks how he knows, and the crystal merchant says “maktub,” which means “it is written.”What does the gypsy woman teach Santiago?
The gypsy woman fits into the novel as a whole by giving Santiago a little push, helping him to believe in his dreams. She also shows him that it's going to cost him to reach the treasure, which he learns over and over again on the road.What does the Englishman teach Santiago?
He teaches Santiago the value of book learning and introduces him to important concepts in alchemy, such as the Master Work. Because the Englishman focuses too much on his books, the alchemist believes he has not reached the point in his personal development that would allow him to be the alchemist's protégé.Why did Coelho choose Crystal?
Expert Answers info Perhaps Paulo Coelho chose a crystal shop as a way of saying that this is not some normal, everyday type of store, but rather one with the potential to help grant the crystal merchant's personal legend, if only he would allow it. Crystal is something only the wealthy can afford. 
