Friday, 15 January 2010

What might be the symbolism in that Santiago ends up working in a crystal shop in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist?

In 's
, the crystal shop may be symbolic of where Santiago finds himself in the
pursuit of his Personal Legend. In one interpretation, we might see that the crystal acts like a
window, allowing Santiago to see what might lie ahead of him. It is here that he learns from the
crystal merchant what can happen when one does not "seize the time." The merchant also
had a dream, his own Personal Legend to travel to Mecca. However, he puts it off, builds a
business (which he cannot leave) and by the time he can afford to go, he is
too old. This disappointment can be Santiago's if he loses faith, so the
crystal could be showing him what life might look like for him. However, it would be important
also to remember that when looking through crystal, the image on the other side is distorted, so
this would suggest that Santiago would have to decide with his heart, and not by
what...

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