Summary
Santiago leaves the chieftains. Outside, a horseman in black carrying a sword
knocks Santiago to the ground. The horseman asks who dared read the flight of the
hawks. Santiago says he did and that he was able to see into the Soul of the World.
The horseman asks Santiago why he defies Allah’s will, and Santiago replies that
Allah willed his vision to occur. The horseman withdraws his sword and asks why
Santiago is in the desert. When Santiago says he is following his Personal Legend,
the horseman explains he needed to test Santiago’s courage, and that Santiago must
not give up on his goal. The horseman tells Santiago to find him the next day after
sunset if he survives the ensuing battle. Santiago asks the horseman where he lives,
and the horseman simply points south before riding away. We learn that the
mysterious horseman is the alchemist.
The next morning, two thousand armed men guard Al-Fayoum. Five hundred mounted
troops arrive in the city pretending to be on a peaceful expedition, but when they
arrive at the tent in the center of Al-Fayoum they all draw hidden swords and
attack. The tent, however, is empty, and because the tribe is ready, the tribesmen
defeat the attackers, killing everyone but the battalion’s commander. The chieftains
question the commander about why he broke with tradition and attacked Al-Fayoum, and
the commander replies that his men were starving and needed to take the oasis to
continue with the war. The chieftains express pity, but condemns the commander to
death by hanging. The old man who leads the chieftains rewards Santiago with fifty
gold pieces and asks him to become the tribal counselor.
That night, Santiago wanders to the south of Al-Fayoum. He sees a tent that a
group of passing Arabs says genies inhabit. Santiago waits beside the tent, and at
midnight the alchemist appears on his horse carrying two dead hawks on his shoulder.
The alchemist says Santiago should not be there unless his Personal Legend directed
him to. He signals for Santiago to enter the tent. Inside, Santiago sees no
traditional alchemy tools. The alchemist tells Santiago that he asked him to come to
his tent because the omens told him Santiago would need help. Santiago tells the
alchemist that the Englishman needs his help, but the alchemist replies that the
Englishman has other things to do first. The alchemist says he needs to help direct
Santiago to the treasure he seeks.
Santiago argues that he already has his treasure with his camel, money, and
Fatima. The alchemist replies that Santiago has nothing from the pyramids. He
proceeds to pour Santiago some wine, even though the rules of Al-Fayoum prohibit
drinking alcohol. He tells Santiago to sell his camel and buy a horse.
Analysis
Santiago—and the reader—finally meets the alchemist in this section. The
alchemist never actually calls himself “the alchemist,” but his identity becomes
clear nonetheless. He appears to Santiago in dramatic fashion, dressed all in black,
riding a white horse, and kicking up a cloud of dust so large it obscures the moon.
This entrance reminds Santiago of Santiago Matamoros, otherwise known as Saint James
the Greater, the apostle and Patron Saint of Spain. Initially, Santiago thinks the
man on the horse may kill him, but he feels no fear because he would die in pursuit
of his Personal Legend. Since he does not worry about death, Santiago confidently
tells the man that he stands behind his vision. The man appears impressed. When he
withdraws his sword, he talks about the Language of the World, and Santiago realizes
the horseman is not a random enemy come to kill him. Santiago says the man reminds
of him of Melchizedek, and as the man rides away the narrator informs us that
Santiago had met the alchemist.
The fact that Santiago’s vision of the approaching army comes true the next
day confirms that he has penetrated to the Soul of the World. As a result, the
tribal chieftains gain a great deal of confidence in Santiago and his abilities, and
they ask him to serve as a tribal counselor. Perhaps more importantly, Santiago
gains more confidence in his abilities. When the alchemist questions Santiago with
his sword drawn, this confidence allows Santiago to speak about his vision with
courage. Santiago’s response impresses the alchemist, who says he needed to test
Santiago’s bravery. He also says that courage is the quality most essential to
understanding the Language of the World. With this additional confidence in himself,
Santiago seems only likely to improve on his abilities.
The alchemist’s choice to make Santiago his protégé marks an important point
in Santiago’s journey, and the fact that the alchemist chooses Santiago, despite the
fact that Santiago is not interested in alchemy, reiterates the notion that all
things are one to people in touch with the Soul of the World. When we first meet the
alchemist, we learn that he awaits someone whom he will teach. Meanwhile, the
Englishman, who studies alchemy, seeks the alchemist. Despite this apparent match,
and the fact that Santiago does not study alchemy, we learn that the alchemist waits
for Santiago, not the Englishman. In the world of the book, all pursuits resemble
one another in that they involve perfecting a Personal Legend and discovering the
Soul of the Word. Thus, even though the Englishman seems like the more appropriate
pupil, the alchemist chooses Santiago because he is the more advanced student of the
Language of the World. When the alchemist says the universe conspires to help people
realize their dreams, Santiago recognizes the alchemist as another omen, directing
him toward his Personal Legend. Santiago argues that he already has his treasure,
including his money and Fatima, but the alchemist points out that none of these
things come from the pyramids. Again, Santiago hesitates briefly to pursue his dream
because he feels satisfied with the wealth he has. The alchemist, however, pushes
him forward.
