“The Alchemist” tells the story of Santiago, a native of Andalusia. He had trained, briefly, for the priesthood though had always been keen to travel. As a result, he left the seminary and – since the only Andalusians who travelled were shepherds – bought some sheep. As the story begins, he has just arrived – aptly enooough – at an abandoned church where he is planning to shelter for the night. That night, for the second time in about a week, he dreams of being taken to the Pyramids by a girl. There, she promises him a hidden treasuer if he comes to the Pyramids when awake. Although he has his dream interpreted in a nearby town, he only decides to follow his dream following a conversation with a man who calims to be the King of Salem.

“The Alchemist” is a very short, pleasant, easily-read book and has a message I’d really love to believe : everyone has a single goal in life (even if we don’t realise it) and that the Earth itself wants us to be happy. Maybe I’ve just become too cynical over the years, but I couldn’t honestly describe it as anything other then fluff – very likeable fluff, admittedly, but utterly detached from reality. The one person who is getting most from this book is Coelho himself : he hasn’t needed to turn lead into gold, he’s made his fortune telling people to chase their dreams and to follow the right omens.