Summary
Upon meeting Santiago, the dream interpreter takes his hands and begins
chanting a Gypsy prayer. When he was a boy, Santiago feared being captured by
gypsies, and he worries the fear will return. He takes solace in an image of Jesus
in the room, but his hands still tremble. When Santiago realizes that the dream
interpreter detects his nervousness, he pulls his hands away and says he doesn’t
want a palm reading. The dream interpreter replies that she can help him, and that
she will still charge him if he leaves early. Santiago decides to go ahead and
explain his dream.
In his dream, Santiago is in a field with his sheep when a child starts to
play with them. The child grabs Santiago’s hands, transports him to the pyramids in
Egypt, and tells him that he will find a treasure near them. As the child begins to
say the exact location of treasure, Santiago wakes up.
After listening to the dream, the dream interpreter says she will not charge
him for her service, but that she wants ten percent of the treasure when he finds
it. Santiago laughs in disbelief, and agrees to swear that he will share his
treasure. Then the dream interpreter goes on to insist that Santiago travel to the
Pyramids and find the treasure. She says that she knows the treasure really exists
because it was a child who pointed it out in the dream. Skeptical, Santiago leaves
disappointed but relieved he didn’t have to pay anything.
Santiago eats and buys a new book in Tarifa. He rests in town to wait out the
hot sun before he moves on. He is reading when an old man who resembles an Arab
approaches him. Santiago ignores the man initially, but the old man persistently
questions Santiago about the book until Santiago relents and talks to him. To
Santiago’s surprise, the old man knows the book. The old man says it is the same as
most other books, because it describes how people end up believing “the world’s
greatest lie,” that nobody can choose his own fate, or “Personal Legend.” Santiago
says he controlled his destiny by becoming a shepherd instead of a
priest.
During their conversation, the old man introduces himself as Melchizedek and
says he is the King of Salem. Santiago has never heard of Salem and thinks the old
man is crazy. The old man says that if Santiago gives him one tenth of his sheep, he
will tell him how to find the hidden treasure. Santiago guesses the old man works
with the dream interpreter in a Gypsy scam, since in no other way could he have
known about the treasure. Melchizedek then proceeds to write the names of Santiago’s
mother and father in the sand with a nearby stick—names Santiago never told the
gypsy.
Analysis
The first section of The Alchemist introduced Santiago as a
happy and successful, if somewhat complacent, young shepherd. He does his job well,
feels satisfied with his choices, and maintains a youthful crush on a local girl
with exotic features. To Santiago, his life seems unique and barrier-breaking. In
this section, however, he begins to feel that a whole world exists which he has not
seen, and though Santiago may be something of an adventurer compared to his parents
and the people around him, he may still resemble his sheep. During his meetings with
the gypsy and Melchizedek, Santiago glimpses possibilities for his life that he had
never considered, and the reader has some early hints that Santiago will have to
choose between remaining a relatively adventurous Spanish shepherd and breaking out
of his comfort zone to pursue his Personal Legend.
The occult imagery associated with the gypsy dream interpreter who engages in
palm reading serves as the initial indication that Santiago enters into uncharted
territory. The gypsy also keeps an image of Christ, which suggests that all faiths
are connected, but Santiago’s hands still tremble. Upon relating his dream of being
shown a treasure at the pyramids, Santiago feels shocked when the gypsy tells him to
make the pilgrimage to Egypt. When he leaves, Santiago dismisses the incident and
believes he got away easy by promising the gypsy one tenth of a supposed treasure
that may not even exist. The encounter shows that Santiago does not yet place any
importance on his dreams. He may have chosen to be a shepherd instead of a priest,
but traveling all the way to Egypt in search of treasure because of a dream remains
beyond Santiago’s scope. Instead, he immediately goes back to the life he knows. He
gets a new book, drinks some wine, and thinks about the merchant’s
daughter.
Melchizedek, the old man Santiago meets, provides the push Santiago needs to
convince him to pursue his dream. Initially, Santiago has no interest in
Melchizedek, but Melchizedek gets Santiago’s attention by saying he knows the book
Santiago is reading. Santiago perks up, possibly because he senses a kindred spirit
in his fellow reader. Melchizedek says Santiago’s book demonstrates the world’s
greatest lie: that fate controls our lives more than we do. Santiago feels he
understands Melchizedek’s point. After all, he chose his own path and became a
shepherd. Still, Santiago suspects a gypsy scam when Melchizedek, who calls himself
the King of Salem, speaks knowingly of Santiago’s dream and demands some of his
sheep in return for a clue about the treasure. But Melchizedek begins to change
Santiago’s mind when he reveals that he knows the names of Santiago’s parents, the
seminary he attended, and other things that Santiago hadn’t told to anyone,
demonstrating that he has a supernatural ability. Persuaded that Melchizedek is at
least wise, if not an actual king, Santiago feels convinced that he should listen to
Melichizedek.
