The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho describes the spiritual journey of Santiago as he seeks to find his treasure. Many people relate this treasure to fulfilling their destiny and pursuing an afterlife through the spirituality. Every religion seems to have a tie to this type of journey and similarities can be found between the religious texts and The Alchemist as to the steps that the individual must take. Many places in the book, as well as many themes that are approached by Coelho, can be directly related to the spiritual journey that has developed into the Christian faith.
First of all, it is important to recognize the role of the shepherd in Christianity. There are a lot of references in the Bible to being a shepherd. First of all, as Jesus Christ was born, there were three shepherds who came to visit Him and His mother Mary in the stable. Secondly, Jesus Christ is often referred to as the Shepherd and the followers of Christianity are considered to be His flock. Becoming part of this flock through accepting Jesus Christ as the savior and the Shepherd is the first step on the spiritual journey that Christians follow towards reaching Paradise.
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"Santiagos Spiritual Journey and Religion".
Christians are also told that they will have a personal calling as a way in which they are to serve God and that, once this calling becomes obvious, it will over take all other desires as this is their primary purpose. There is a definite focus throughout the book that points to destiny and purpose. The entire journey is about discovering this purpose and fulfilling this calling in order to reach the treasure or the Paradise in the afterlife. However, the amount of suffering that is related to living in pursuit of this calling is enhanced in Christianity. Suffering in order to achieve a goal is a key theme in the Christian Bible just as it was in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Nothing is easy for Santiago but the ultimate goal seems to make everything worth while.
Places in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho such as the isolation of the desert and the oasis are also similar to the settings withinn the Bible. The disciples in the Bible were often isolated from other individuals and struggling in the desert. They were tempted to stay in areas where it would have been easier but chose to follow their spiritual journey across rugged terrain and in the face of the unknown. Santiago also believed that following the journey would be more important in his life than a moment at the oasis. Struggling through the difficult times and desolate places was an important role of his journey that would shape him into his destiny. Again, it is in the trials of the journey that the individual can actually achieve their destiny and receive their treasure.
The final area of connection between The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Christianity is accepting these struggles and difficulties in life to the overall purpose of the spiritual journey. Christians often state that everything happens for a reason and everything is in accordance with God’s plan. Santiago places a large focus on the importance of signs and the making the most out of a situation. This shows that there are signs of God that can be found throughout one’s spiritual journey and that, if one will look for these signs, areas of coincidence and luck can be connected to God. Looking for these signs and following God leads Christians through their spiritual journey much like the strong desire to achieve his goals led Santiago alone his journey.
