Page 4 - The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

He owned a jacket, a book that he could trade for another, and a flock of sheep. But, most
important, he was able every day to live out his dream. If he were to tire of the
Andalusian fields, he could sell his sheep and go to sea. By the time he had had enough
of the sea, he would already have known other cities, other women, and other chances to
be happy.

Whenever he could, he sought out a new road to travel. He had never been to that ruined
church before, in spite of having traveled through those parts many times. The world was
huge and inexhaustible; he had only to allow his sheep to set the route for a while, and he
would discover other interesting things. The problem is that they don’t even realize that
they’re walking a new road every day. They don’t see that the fields are new and the
seasons change. All they think about is food and water.

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, he thought.

“You came so that you could learn about your dreams,” said the old woman. “And
dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he
has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand.
But, whichever it is, I’m going to charge you for the consultation.”
“I have had the same dream twice,” he said. “I dreamed that I was in a field with my
sheep, when a child appeared and began to play with the animals. I don’t like people to
do that, because the sheep are afraid of strangers...”

“The child went on playing with my sheep for quite a while,” continued the boy, a bit
upset. “And suddenly, the child took me by both hands and transported me to the
Egyptian pyramids...”

“Then, at the Egyptian pyramids,”—he said the last three words slowly, so that the old
woman would understand—“the child said to me, ‘If you come here, you will find a
hidden treasure,’ And, just as she was about to show me the exact location, I woke up.
Both times.”

“And this is my interpretation: you must go to the Pyramids in Egypt. I have never heard
of them, but, if it was a child who showed them to you, they exist. There you will find a
treasure that will make you a rich man.”

“I told you that your dream was a difficult one. It’s the simple things in life that are the
most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them. And since I am not wise,
I have had to learn other arts, such as the reading of palms.”

“It’s a book that says the same thing almost all the other books in the world say,”
continued the old man. “It describes people’s inability to choose their own Personal
Legends. And it ends up saying that everyone believes the world’s greatest lie.”