Vocabulary Words

Pilgrimage:
A pilgrims journey
Narcissus:
A beautiful youth in Greek mythology who pines away for love of his own; a flower
Reflection:
Throwing back by a body or surface of light without absorbing it
Alchemy:
The medevial forerunner of chemistry
Andalusia:
The region in which Santiago is from in the beginning
Tarifa:
Fare ( money paid for a transport ticket) fee
Gypsy:
A person who predicted the future; a nomadic and free-spirited person

Discussion Questions

1. What is the name of the main character? What does he do for a living and for how long?
What is the name of the region he is in at the beginning of the novel?
a. Santiago is the main character. He’s a shepherd for a living. He was a shepherd
for 2 years. He is in the region of Andalusia
2. Why do you think he made the choice to leave the seminary after learning to read and
write?
a. He will get farther by having the learning skills and because he wanted to go on
adventures and explore the world
3. Explain why the main character’s jacket could be both a blessing and a curse. The jacket
is considered a symbol for the hero’s journey. Make an inference as to what the jacket
may symbolize.
a. Santiago's jacket, in the aspect of a curse, was heavy and he had to carry it around
as he walked. A blessing, he was warm in the cold hours of the night. The jacket
may symbolize the whole journey itself, He may sometimes want to give up but
he knows he is bettering himself
4. The novel opens with the main character thinking about his sheep. What does he observe
about their existence? How might the sheep symbolize the way some people live their
lives?
 a. Santiago is close to his sheep, when thinking about this sheeps he in a way,
appreciates their existence and how much they benefit him. It symbolizes how
people live their lives because people sometimes take beneficial people in their
lives for granted
5. How does Santiago’s father react when his son tells him that he wants to travel?(p.9)
What does he say about travellers?
a. His father was not angry with him as foreshadowed by his personality, but more
disappointed. He did in a way support Santiago, he have him 3 gold coins. His
father said that travelers worry more than them.
6. Why does the gypsy woman say that Santiago’s dream is difficult to interpret? (p.12-14).
a. She says it’s hard to interpret because dreams are god's language of soul which
only he knows
7. Describe Santiago’s Dream. What does the old fortune teller tell him it means?
a. Children were playing with sheep and took him to the Egyptian pyramids and
showed him treasure. But before he could asked for directions, he woke up. He
was told it was very difficult to interpret but the interpretation was that he had to
go to the pyramids and find the treasure.
8. What is the lie in Santiago’s book according to the old man?
a. He says that the lie is that the book is a basic book and no one can choose their
own fate. The book’s lie is that its like every other book because it describes
people's inability to choose their own legends. He also said it ends up telling the
world's greatest lie which is that we lose control of what’s happening to us and
that our lives are controlled by fate.
9. At the beginning, Santiago thinks the old man might be a gypsy like the woman. How
does the old man gain Santiago’s trust?
a. The old man gained Santiago’s trust by telling him things about his own life like
how he was a traveler, his mom and dads name, the merchant's daughter's name
who he was talking to.. The man said he was a king of Salem named Maschizek.
The old man said he could tell him where to find the pyramid.

11/20/23
Vocabulary:
Salem (Jeru”salem”): Peaceful; Complete
King Melchizedek (Genesis14, “King Most High”): He was king of Salem and priest of the
most high God.
Levanter: A strong easterly wind
Infidel: A person that doesn’t believe in religion
Scabbard:A sheath for a sword or dagger

Discussion Questions
1. According to the King, what is a Personal Legend?
a. The king said that a personal legend is something that a person desires the most to
accomplish in his or her life.
2. The old man tells Santiago that he often appears in people’s lives just at the moment they
are about to give up on their destiny. What are some of the guises he takes?
a. He says most of the time he is an old man, sometimes he's a rock and other times
a king
3. The old man tells Santiago the story about the miner and the emerald on p. 24. How does
it connect to Santiago’s situation? What does he mean when he says that “treasure is
uncovered by the force of flowing water, and it is buried by the same currents”? What
does this quote have to do with the miner/emerald story?
a. This connects to Santiago’s situation because he wants to give up but the man is
telling him to not to. When he says “treasure is uncovered by the force of flowing
water, and it is buried by the same currents” he means that the treasure can be
found when you are young and have dreams but can be covered by the reality you
face. This quote connects to the miners story because the miner was going at it
and was quitting so when he slammed his axe down to the ground it landed on the
rock and it opened up to show an emerald.
4. What does Santiago realize about the wind (p.27) How does this help him on his journey?
a. He realized that the wind is moving quickly and he has a difficult choice to make
which is to continue or not and he decides to continue.
5. What is the principle of favorability?
a. The principle of favorability is that each person's personal legend starts with a
stroke of luck.
6. What point does the old man’s story about the boy in the castle and the drops of oil
(p.30-32) make? How might this story apply to us in our modern lives?
a. The point is that the secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world but
never forget the small things. It applies to us because the oil is the things that we
shouldn’t do.
7. How does the King assist Santiago in recognizing omens? When does Santiago use this
help?
a. The king gives him 2 stones to help him recognize the omens. He only uses this
help once by asking if the old man's blessing was still with him and if he was
going to find the treasure.
8. How do Santiago’s thoughts and perceptions about himself and the world begin to change
on pp. 42-44?
a. They begin to change because he realizes that language isn't the only way to
communicate between 2 people.
9. What difficult choice does Santiago make when he meets the crystal merchant?
 a. He must choose to continue in working for him but its taking time away from
finding the treasure.

11/27/23
Vocabulary Words
Mecca:A place that attracts people to it
Maktub: It is written
Esperanto: An artificial language developed in 1887
Philosopher’s Stone:a mythical substances that’s supposed to give you immortality.
Elixir of Life:Something that is supposed to prolong life infinitely
Allah: God

Discussion Questions

1. What lessons does Santiago learn by working at the crystal shop? How does the crystal
merchant’s explanation for not taking the pilgrimage to Mecca (p.55) highlight the
difference between Santiago and the merchant? What effect does the merchant say
Santiago has had on him?
a. . He chose for Santiago to work in a crystal shop because crystals are delicates as
is a person's Personal Legend and their future. He has expanded the shop by
convincing him to sell tea, he has taught him about omens, and the merchant tells
him that he wants to live imagining going to Mecca. It highlights that they have
different views on life. He learns that he needs to be persistent in fulfilling his
personal legend and he also learns through the words and inaction of the crystal
merchant. Coelho chose the crystal merchant because he wants to showcase the
different paths a person may choose in life. Whereas Santiago feels eager to
pursue his Personal Legend and reach Egypt, the crystal merchant fears pursuing
his own dream to make a pilgrimage to Mecca because he worries he will have
nothing to live for afterward. Santiago's presence has allowed him to understand
that he does not know how to deal with change, something that is often difficult
for many people in the world to face and accept.

2. Specific words can carry a deep meaning. The crystal merchant introduced Santiago to
the Arabic word maktub (it is written). This is mentioned at several important moments
in the story. Why do you think he speaks this word when he and Santiago part ways? (61)
a. I think he speaks this way because the word carries the connotation that in every
situation or action there is a hand of fate involved.As Santiago begins his quest,
he is relaxed with the reassurance that all of his actions are in the context of fate
which God has written. As Santiago learns, fate always cooperates with those who
 pursue their Personal Legends, so as long as he remains focused on his goal, he
can be at ease because his destiny has already been written

3. Santiago is an educated young man who wants to learn the Language of the World. He
has come to realize in the first part of the novel that there is a language that goes beyond
speaking and writing. The language without words is the same language he uses with his
sheep. What are some of the literal and figurative languages that Santiago realizes he has
learned by the time he completes his first year of work for the crystal merchant?
a. He realized that he learned Arabic, Spanish, language of enthusiasm, if he could
conquer Tangier then he could conquer the world.

4. The Englishman and his goals are described on pp.65-70. What is he looking for? What
does he demonstrate to Santiago that he already knows?
a. The one tree language of the universe, the Philosopher's stone, the alchemist and
that everyone learns differently.