What did the alchemist mean when he said, in Coelho's The Alchemist, "because that's what makes a heart suffer the most and hearts don't like to...

In 's
, the alchemist speaks about what makes the heart suffer and that hearts
don't like to suffer.

"We never stop speaking out but
we begin to hope that our words won't be heard: we don't want people to suffer because they
don't follow their hearts."

"Why don't people's hearts tell them to
continue to follow their dreams?" the boy asked the alchemist.

"Because that's what makes a heart suffer most and hearts don't like to
suffer."

I believe that this exchange basically
speaks to the suffering one must go through by following a dream of the heart. Because of the
pain that may come from following a dream, the heart begins to speak more quietly hoping that it
will be ignored. In this way, there will be no suffering. We can assume that the alchemist is
saying that there is pain to be expected in trying to reach one's dreams.

This is certainly the case of Santiago. In his pursuit of his Personal Legend, he is
robbed and experiences great self-doubt. It is so bad that at one point he is ready to return to
his homeland and spend the rest of his life as a shepherd, never fulfilling his dream to see the
Pyramids.

There was a moment of silence so profound that
it seemed the city was asleep. No sound from the bazaars, no arguments among the merchants, no
men climbing to the towers to chant. No hope, no adventure, no old kings or Personal Legends, no
treasure, and no Pyramids. It was as if the world had fallen silent because the boy's soul had.
He sat there, staring blankly through the door of the cafe, wishing that he had died, and that
everything would end forever at that moment.

Clearly, the
wish of Santiago's heart has brought him to a place of great pain. However, as the book
continues, we find that he overcomes his disappointment and heartache to ultimately reach his
Personal Legend.