Sometimes our personal legend can be found in a story. The Alchemist is considered by many to be a life-changing novel, so it's no surprise that it has spent over 300 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and continues to be added to high school and community book club reading lists. It’s even made its appearance on Oprah’s Book Club. 

At its core, the novel is about chasing your dream and embracing your purpose. The novel’s author, Paulo Coehlo refers to this as our “personal legend,” our mission on Earth.  

“There is one great truth on this planet,” Coehlo writes. “Whoever you are, or whatever it is you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.” 

The novel follows a young shepherd named Santiago who, at the beginning of the novel, has recurring dreams of the Egyptian pyramids. After seeking advice from people in his town, he decides to listen to the wise words of a king and find the treasure hidden at the pyramids as he is told finding the treasure is his personal legend. 

Santiago embarks on a journey from Spain to Egypt, each time facing obstacles that should prevent him from his journey. At one point, he even considers going back home to Andalusia, turning his focus to making enough money to do so. Even this decision, we learn, is part of his personal legend. To truly reach our legend, we must continue choosing it - even when it seems far-fetched. “Never stop dreaming,” a wise king advised Santiago. 

Throughout the novel, we see the stories of those who have stopped dreaming and learn that while we can ignore our purpose, we may always wonder “what-if” when we come across those who don’t. 

Marcus Fields, a junior currently attending Howard University, calls The Alchemist a must-read that he believes one should return to yearly because “you might think you’re on one part, but realistically, you’ve yet to scratch the surface.”

 “I learned about the importance of the journey, not as much the destination,” Fields said. “There are things that we must learn on the road to our personal legend. It is to prepare us for what is to come,” Fields shared.

The Alchemist is a book that makes you think. It’s a book written in a universal language involving spirituality, yin and yang, and the language of the Universe.

Much of it relates to the small synchronicities and wonders of reality, it almost feels like a guide to life. It’s probably why this book continues to resonate with audiences of all backgrounds and has even been translated into more than 80 languages worldwide.

“In life, we will meet those who motivate us, we will also have discouraging moments or times where we get off track,” said Joelle Allen, another lover of the novel, Allen read The Alchemist through a book club hosted by Fields and believes the book could “serve as a general outline for everyone’s life.

While this story touches the lives of many, others found that it wasn’t their cup of tea but still received the book’s overall message.

Chariti Mcelveen, a senior at Howard University, wasn’t a fan of The Alchemist but “understood what the author was trying to do” due to her own faith and spirituality. 

“As a graduating senior, it’s important to be reminded that I don’t need to have everything figured out in life. I’m exactly where