Lesson Summary In The Alchemist, the Shopkeeper is the foil to Santiago. He is a middle aged man, and is content to stay in one place. However, rather than admit his failings, he points to the fact that life has let him down, such as all the business that has moved to Ceuta.Keeping this in view, who is the gypsy woman in the Alchemist?
Fatima - A beautiful and chaste young "desert woman" who lives at the Al-Fayoum Oasis. She understands that she must allow Santiago to travel in pursuit of his dream. Read an in-depth analysis of Fatima. Gypsy - An old women living in Tarifa who interprets dreams.
Also Know, who helped Santiago in The Alchemist? Melchizedek
People also ask, who is the crystal merchant in the Alchemist?
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.
Who is the antagonist in the Alchemist?
The antagonists in this story change at times - sometimes it is the people who give Santiago advice he doesn't want to hear; sometimes it's real villains like the thief in Tangier who steals all his money - but for the most part, the antagonist is Santiago himself.
What is the main problem in the Alchemist?
major conflict · The major conflict of the book is Santiago's personal tension between completing his Personal Legend to travel all the way to Egypt to find a treasure at the pyramids and settling along the way for the treasures he has already earned.What is the real treasure in the Alchemist?
Answer and Explanation: In The Alchemist, the treasure in the literal sense is gold, but there is also the figurative treasure of growth, wisdom, adventure, and experience,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.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 did the sheep teach Santiago?
Therefore the sheep, in their quiet yet fulfilled lives, symbolize the values of humility, simplicity, and self-actualization. Santiago also learns life lessons by watching his sheep, and later these lessons are reinforced as he observes the desert and listens to his heart.What is Santiago's destiny?
'The Alchemist' uses destiny, a predetermined, usually inevitable, course of events, to guide Santiago through an eventful journey toward his dreams. 'The Alchemist' teaches that destiny is written. However, it is not until we understand the language of the world that we will find our way toward our intended path.What did Melchizedek tell Santiago?
Melchizedek tells Santiago that the treasure is in Egypt, near the pyramids, and that he can find it by following the omens. Melchizedek opens his cape and removes one black stone and one white stone from the center of his breastplate, which he says are called Urim and Thummim.What is alchemy used for?
Alchemy, a form of speculative thought that, among other aims, tried to transform base metals such as lead or copper into silver or gold and to discover a cure for disease and a way of extending life.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 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.What does the crystal symbolize in the Alchemist?
In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the crystal shop may be symbolic of where Santiago finds himself in the pursuit of his Personal Legend. In one interpretation, we might see that the crystal acts like a window, allowing Santiago to see what might lie ahead of him.Why do English befriend Santiago?
The alchemist befriends Santiago because he knows that the young boy, unlike the Englishman, understands the importance of having your own Personal Legend. The Englishman has set himself firmly on a path in life—a false, inauthentic path—from which he can never deviate.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 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.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 does Santiago learn from the crystal merchant?
Through the crystal merchant, Santiago gets a very good example of what a person looks like and/or becomes when dreams stay dreams and action is never taken to attain the dream. The crystal merchant has his own dreams, but he is unwilling to actively do anything about them, and it is for a silly reason.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. 
