Who is Santiago's foil in The Alchemist?

In
literature, the foil character is the character who exists, in part or primarily, to provide a
contrast to the . If, for example, the protagonist character is wise, the foil character will be
foolish. The foil character's foolishness would thus emphasize by contrast the protagonist's
wisdom.

In 's , the protagonist is Santiago, an
adventurous, determined, and inquisitive shepherd boy who embarks upon a journey of spiritual
awakening. The main foil character in The Alchemist is the Englishman. The
Englishman hopes to acquire knowledge with which he can make money and satiate his own greed,
whereas Santiago, at least by the end of the story, wants to acquire knowledge for spiritual
fulfillment. The Englishman also looks for answers almost exclusively in books and always
follows his head, whereas Santiago learns to look for knowledge in the world around him and to
follow his heart. In short, the Englishman represents an intelligence which is narrow and
limited and thus emphasizes by contrast the more open, adaptive emotional intelligence
demonstrated by Santiago. The contrast between the two types of intelligence also serves to
highlight the disadvantages of the former and, conversely, the advantages of the
latter.

The Englishman's greed is evident when his friend tells him about the
Arabian alchemist who can transform any metal into gold. The Englishman, after he hears this,
can "not contain his excitement." The Englishman also later tells Santiago that he
seeks the Philosopher's Stone because "a small sliver of stone can transform large
quantities of metal into gold." Santiago initially sets out to seek personal wealth also,
but he soon discovers that the real treasure is one's spiritual harmony with what he calls the
soul of the world. He learns that "the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that
soul can also understand the language of things."

Because they seek very
different treasures, the Englishman often becomes impatient and disappointed, whereas Santiago
becomes more content and at peace. Santiago, for example, is "at home with the silence of
the desert, and . . . content just to look at the trees." The Englishman, on the other
hand, becomes "disappointed" when he can't find the alchemist and thinks that he has
"made the long journey for nothing."

Santiago also learns to follow
his heart, in accordance with the alchemist's advice to "Remember that wherever your heart
is, there you will find your treasure." In contrast, the Englishman is weighed down with
books, both literally and figuratively. He carries "several suitcases filled with
books" and is always "immersed in reading his books." He does not follow his
heart and, therefore, does not ever discover his treasure.