Page 9 - The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?’

“The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only
concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

“‘Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,’ said the wise man. ‘You cannot
trust a man if you don’t know his house.’

“Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this
time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens,
the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which
everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail
everything he had seen.

“‘But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?’ asked the wise man.

“Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

“‘Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,’ said the wisest of wise men.
‘The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the
drops of oil on the spoon.’”

The shepherd said nothing. He had understood the story the old king had told him. A
shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep.

If God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead a man...
He recalled that when the sun had risen that morning, he was on another continent, still a
shepherd with sixty sheep, and looking forward to meeting with a girl. That morning he
had known everything that was going to happen to him as he walked through the familiar
fields. But now, as the sun began to set, he was in a different country, a stranger in a
strange land, where he couldn’t even speak the language. He was no longer a shepherd,
and he had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over.

When I had my sheep, I was happy, and I made those around me happy. People saw me
coming and welcomed me, he thought. But now I’m sad and alone. I’m going to become
bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me. I’m going to hate those
who have found their treasure because I never found mine. And I’m going to hold on to
what little I have, because I’m too insignificant to conquer the world.

Now he understood why the owner of the bar had been so upset; he was trying to tell him
not to trust that man. “I’m like everyone else—I see the world in terms of what I would
like to see happen, not what actually does.”