In Coelho's The Alchemist, how do certain people help Santiago on his journey?

Certain people definitely do help Santiago throughout this novel. I always think it is
interesting to discuss the idea that every single person Santiago encounters helps him in some
way. This would include the people that try to thwart his efforts. Scientifically, this relates
to something called the "observer effect." It states that the act of observing
something will influence the phenomenon being observed. One of the major things that Santiago
learns is that the journey and process of obtaining his Personal Legend is every bit as
important as the hypothetical end reward. It has to be said that Santiago's journey involved
just as many pitfalls as successes, yet he would not end up the man he is at the end of the
story without those interactions. By this reasoning, even the bandits helped Santiago.

Of course, if you want to go with a more concrete answer, then I would go with the
crystal merchant. He gives...