The Alchemist Characters: Santiago, Melchizedek, Fatima and the Alchemist
Each person Santiago meets is another lesson
The hero is Santiago, a young shepherd from Andalusia. On his journey he meets Melchizedek, an old king who sets him on his way, a crystal merchant in Tangier, an Englishman searching for alchemy, Fatima, the woman he loves at the oasis, and finally the Alchemist, who teaches him the most important lessons.
Most of the characters have no names, which helps the book read like a fable.
Who Santiago meets on the way
| Character | Where Santiago meets them | What they teach |
|---|---|---|
| The merchant's daughter | A town in Andalusia | The comfort of staying put |
| The fortune-teller | Tarifa | That dreams can be read |
| Melchizedek | Tarifa | The Personal Legend |
| The crystal merchant | Tangier | What happens to an unfollowed dream |
| The Englishman | The caravan | That books are not enough |
| The camel driver | The caravan | To live in the present |
| Fatima | The oasis | That love does not hold you back |
| The Alchemist | The oasis and the desert | To listen to your heart |
Santiago
Santiago's parents wanted him to study, but he chose to become a shepherd so that he could travel. He is curious, practical and a little proud, and he talks to his sheep and reads books on the road. Over the novel he moves from following his dream with hesitation to trusting himself completely. He represents every reader who has a dream they keep putting off.
↑ Back to the topMelchizedek, king of Salem
An old man who sits beside Santiago in the square at Tarifa and seems to know everything about him. He says he is the king of Salem and appears to people at the moment they are about to give up on their dream. He asks for a tenth of Santiago's flock in exchange for advice and gives him two stones, Urim and Thummim, to help read signs. He introduces the book's central ideas.
↑ Back to the topThe crystal merchant
The merchant has a shop at the top of a hill in Tangier. For years he has dreamed of making a great journey he has longed for since youth. He never goes, because he fears that if he achieves his dream he will have nothing left to live for. Santiago transforms his business, and the merchant becomes the book's clearest example of someone who chooses safety over his Personal Legend.
↑ Back to the topThe Englishman and the camel driver
The Englishman has spent years and a fortune studying alchemy in books and travels to the oasis to find a real alchemist. He is clever but cannot see what is in front of him. The camel driver, who lost everything in a flood, has learned to live only in the present, and he teaches Santiago that if you concentrate on the present, you will be happy.
↑ Back to the topFatima
Fatima is a young woman at the oasis whom Santiago meets at the well and falls in love with at first sight. She tells him to continue his journey, because a love that keeps someone from their legend is not real love, and she promises to wait. She represents a love that supports a dream instead of competing with it.
↑ Back to the topThe Alchemist
The Alchemist is said to be two hundred years old and lives at the oasis, dressed in black and riding a white horse. He can turn lead into gold but rarely bothers. He chooses Santiago as a pupil, crosses the desert with him, and teaches by putting him in situations where he must learn for himself. He leaves Santiago to finish the journey alone, as every teacher eventually must.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Alchemist
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