In Coelho's
, the alchemist knows that Santiago's Personal Legend does not end with the
Pyramids. This is why the leader of the robbers is important in directing Santiago in the way he
should go. When Santiago arrives the Pyramids, he begins to dig because of his recurring dream.
The robber tells him:
Two years ago, right here on this
spot, I had a recurrent dream, too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of Spain and
look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept.
The robber who has not paid attention to his dream is lost.
Nothing could convince him to search for omens and take on a journey fueled by faith, in order
to find that which the universe has in store for him.
Once Santiago arrives
at the Pyramids, and hears the dream of the robber, he understands that he has fulfilled his
quest to see the Pyramids, and now has the information necessary to
retrieve his treasure. Ironically, the treasure leads him homealmost to his own back yard. This
part of his journey is temporary as well: as he returns home, he is drawn to Fatima for he knows
that the love of his life is waiting for him at the oasis.
The alchemist
believes that greatness lies within Santiagoand an opportunity for love. Money means a lot to
many people, but it cannot buy true love. Everything centers on love and
knowing that you are part of something much greater: the entire universe. Santiago has learned
to speak the language of the desert and the wind, but he now understands that to travel back to
Spain, he will realize that which his dreams sent him to find in the first place. If he stays at
the Pyramids, he will not see his dream come to pass. Instead, he will learn (as the alchemist
tells him) to resent never finishing his quest for his Personal Legend, and that Fatima will
feel to blame.
In the end, Santiago realizes the Pyramids were a lure to take
him away from what he knew in order to teach him. Santiago asks (across the miles) if the
alchemist could not have saved him a beating in the desert by telling him to avoid the
Pyramidsfor his answer does not truly lie
there. The alchemist responds:
If I had told you, you wouldn't have seen the Pyramids. They're
beautiful, aren't they?
The universe didn't want Santiago
at the Pyramids: it wanted him to dream of going there, and in getting
there, to realize his Personal Legend. For his Personal Legend was not to
be found at the Pyramids, but simply a part of his journey to find his "treasure"which
appears to be Fatima.
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