"The Alchemist" Revised version of previous essay.

Santiago couldn't forget his vision that vanished just as quickly as it had come...he had seen an army, with its swords at the ready, riding into the oasis. The Alchemist, written by Paulo Coelho, is a book about a boy who has a dream, which leads to the pursuit of his treasure, his personal legend. Along the way he learns many important life lessons. The boy, Santiago, believes in omens and pays close attention …

…in the process, learned an important lesson that saved his life. Sometimes you must give up everything, gamble everything, and even tell the truth, no matter how valuable it might be to keep it a secret, just to be able to succeed in life. In doing so, Santiago not only saved himself, but found his treasure, settling his ultimate goal: living and finding his Personal Legend. Reference: Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist. San Francisco, California: HarperCollins (1993)