What part does the gypsy woman play in Santiago's journey in The Alchemist? Describe the cause and effect of her interaction with him.

The
gypsy woman has an incredibly small amount of actual page time in ;
however, her importance to Santiago's journey is huge.

On the surface, the
gypsy woman does little more than interpret Santiago's dream, yet this hugely affects Santiago
because it provides him with the necessary push to get himself going to actually do something
about achieving a future treasure. Her push causes Santiago to react. From a physics
perspective, she is the action, and Santiago's journey is the reaction.

It is
also important to note that the gypsy woman shows Santiago that his treasure won't be obtained
for free. She charges Santiago a tenth of the treasure that he hasn't yet obtained. Going after
this treasure is going to cost Santiago, and it does. Santiago learns quite frequently that
obtaining his personal legend is no easy feat, and he is tempted to give up due to the various
people he meets or those that actually seek to do him harm.

Take the crystal
merchant as an example. His advice is nearly the opposite of the gypsy woman's advice. She
encourages him to get going, but the crystal merchant shows Santiago a different perspective.
Stay put; don't go for the dream. If you achieve the dream, you no longer have the
dream:

"I'm afraid that if my dream is realized, I'll
have no reason to go on living."

Fortunately, he
perseveres, but without the gypsy woman causing that initial push, Santiago would likely not
have achieved all that he did.