Always Be Brave Enough to Chase Your Dreams |Book: The Alchemist|Paulo Coelho
- Bookfuel
- Mar 27
- 10 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
When we’re in our early twenties, many of us ask ourselves: “What is my dream? What do I truly want to do with this life?”
Then, at twenty-five, that question evolves: “Have I really given my all to chase that dream? Is the path I’m walking aligned with my heart?”
By the time we’re thirty, the question turns quiet, but heavy: “If the dream I’ve held onto hasn’t come true yet… is it too late to begin now?”
If you’ve ever found yourself standing on the uncertain edge of life — unsure of what your heart is saying — just two hours with The Alchemist might offer you the clarity you’ve been looking for.
This 225-page novel has transcended borders, languages, and generations. Published over 35 years ago, it has been translated into 81 languages and sold in more than 170 countries.
In Brazil, its fame has only three rivals: God, soccer, and this book.
Its power lies in something rare: when you read The Alchemist, you don’t just see a character… you see a reflection of yourself.
The story follows a young shepherd named Santiago who sells everything he owns — his entire flock of sheep — to chase a dream. He believes there’s a hidden treasure waiting for him somewhere in the vast desert.
What begins as a simple fable quietly unravels into a profound metaphor for all of us who have ever longed for something more.
Santiago’s journey is also a mirror of the spiritual path of author Paulo Coelho himself.
Before becoming a literary icon, Coelho lived a life full of turmoil. As a teenager, he was institutionalized by his parents for being rebellious. Later, he was imprisoned for opposing Brazil’s military dictatorship.
And even into his late 30s, he still hadn’t found “his thing.”
It wasn’t until he walked nearly 600 kilometers alone across Spain — on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela — that something shifted. The fire inside him settled into something deeper.
And out of that quiet transformation came this story.
When The Alchemist was published, it lit a candle in the hearts of millions who were feeling lost or weary on their own path.
It also cemented Coelho’s place among the greats, becoming the only Latin American author often mentioned in the same breath as Gabriel García Márquez, author of One Hundred Years of Solitude.
What The Alchemist gently teaches us is this:
A life without purpose is like a maze with no exit.
And those who step into that maze without direction will spend their whole life trying to escape it.
When you obsess over what you might gain or lose, you end up trading your dreams for safety.
So if you’ve ever asked yourself whether it’s too late…
If you’ve ever doubted your path…
Or if you’re simply looking for the courage to begin again —
Then maybe, just maybe… this story has been waiting for you all along
I. Part 1: Bravely take the first step toward chasing your dreams
Santiago was born into a modest family in the Spanish countryside. His parents worked the land — just a few small plots. From the moment he arrived in this world, they pinned all their hopes on him. They enrolled him in a seminary, dreaming he would one day become a priest — the pride of the family. After all, being a priest meant a stable life. But Santiago didn’t want stability. One day, he gathered all his courage and told his father that he didn’t want to become a priest — he wanted to travel the world, to see what lay beyond the familiar.
His father protested, of course. But in the end, he couldn’t stop a soul that had already chosen its path. So, he compromised. He handed Santiago three gold coins and said: “Use these to buy some sheep — and go live the life you want.”
That wasn’t just permission — it was something more tender: a quiet blessing, a recognition. Perhaps deep down, his father, too, had once longed to see the world.
In the book, every character has a dream of their own. Santiago’s father wanted to travel. The popcorn seller dreamed of going to Africa. The crystal shop owner hoped to one day visit Mecca. Even the thieves Santiago meets near the pyramids had once dreamed of finding treasure. But life — and its endless pressures — caused them all to put their dreams on hold. And now, all they have left… is regret.
The reason? It’s always the same: a calculation between gain and loss. We weigh things too long, and slowly lose sight of what our hearts once knew.
If we don’t have the courage to stand by what we truly want, we’ll never escape the “circle of safety.”
But Santiago broke through it. He left home. He became a shepherd. He chose the life that called to him.
For two years, he wandered the countryside, learned how to tend sheep, admired landscapes, met people.
It felt… enough. But then — on two consecutive nights — he had a dream.
A child appeared and led him to Egypt, whispering that a treasure awaited him there.
And just like that, the soul was stirred.
That dream brought him to a strange encounter — with an old man who called himself the “King of Salem.”
He told Santiago: “That dream is your destiny.”
But treasure is tempting — and current life is comfortable.
Santiago hesitated. If he went in search of the treasure, he’d have to leave behind all he had.
Like many of us, he nearly lost himself in that moment — tangled in the fear of losing what felt certain.
But then came the line that lit a spark in him again:
“Your destiny is what you have always wanted to do.”
Let that sink in.
One of the greatest traps in life is this: when we bow our heads, surrender to reality, and quietly whisper to ourselves, “It’s too late. Maybe… this is just my destiny.”
But that’s a lie.
Destiny should never be something that leaves you filled with regret.
Destiny should be what makes you feel most alive.
We often ask: will I regret what I didn’t do, or what I did?
Studies show that when we act and fail, our regret is short-lived. We justify. We move on.
But when we never act on what we deeply long for — those are the regrets that haunt us.
There’s a quote that says: “Our dreams stay far away… because we never take the first step.”
Dreams cannot bear long delays. And they fear discouragement.
Like molten steel, if not forged at the right moment, they cool and harden — misshapen, lost.
So if your dream is starting to stir inside you —
Act.
Act before it dims. Before it retreats.
Not because you’re ready.
But because it’s calling.
II. Part 2: The road to your dreams is never a straight path
When Santiago first arrived in Africa, he was hit with two crushing blows, one right after the other.
The first was the language barrier.
The second? He trusted the wrong person.
A man who spoke Spanish — someone who seemed like a kindred spirit, a companion — turned out to be a thief.
In the blink of an eye, Santiago lost every coin he had.
Just yesterday, the future was glowing with possibility.
Today, he was alone in a foreign land — penniless, heartbroken, and disoriented.
In that moment of near collapse, he remembered something the King of Salem once told him:
“When you truly want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Those words stirred something inside him — not just hope, but the will to get back up.
The next morning, Santiago straightened his clothes, steadied his breath, and wandered the city looking for new opportunities.
Life can knock you down — hard.
But sometimes, if you keep your eyes open and your heart soft, life will also hand you a way forward.
That’s how Santiago found the old crystal shop.
Its shelves were dusty. Business was slow.
Santiago noticed something: crystal shines best when it’s clean.
So he offered to polish every piece in exchange for a meal.
The shopkeeper hesitated — but Santiago didn’t wait for permission.
He simply got to work. And just as he finished cleaning the first few pieces, two customers walked in and made a purchase.
The shopkeeper was stunned.
Impressed by Santiago’s initiative and work ethic, he offered him a job.
Still, Egypt was far away. The desert stretched thousands of miles ahead.
Working in a crystal shop wouldn’t get him there overnight.
And like any of us chasing a dream, Santiago began to feel discouraged.
He was working hard — doing everything he could — but his dream still felt impossibly distant.
But instead of giving up, he stayed.
He pressed pause on his dream, focused on the present moment, and gave everything he had to the work in front of him.
From time to time, he came up with new ideas — ways to attract more customers, improve the business.
And slowly, that little shop came back to life.
One year later, Santiago had made twice the amount of money he started with.
He’d learned the art of selling. He could speak Arabic fluently.
But more importantly, he had matured — forged by hardship, patience, and presence.
For someone whose heart still burned with purpose, challenges no longer felt like punishment.
They became preparation.
And now, Santiago stood at a crossroads.
He could stay — live a comfortable life, run a successful business, enjoy stability.
Or… he could leave.
He could walk away — and follow the dream that started it all.
The shopkeeper, now fond of Santiago, tried to persuade him to stay.
But in Santiago’s heart, a familiar voice echoed:
“Never forget what it is you truly want.”
So once again, Santiago let go of comfort — and chose the unknown.
Because he never forgot why he began:
He was headed to Egypt to find his treasure.
He crossed vast stretches of desert and eventually arrived at a small oasis.
There, he met a girl named Fatima.
And in that very first glance, Santiago fell in love.
It was instant — deep, undeniable.
For a brief moment, he thought: Maybe this is it. Maybe this is where I stop.
He imagined staying, building a life with her, settling into this new happiness.
But dreams of the Alchemist kept returning — vivid and insistent.
They pulled at him, nudged him, reminded him of something even deeper.
Santiago realized:
If he gave up now, part of him would always live with regret.
And if he stayed, even the love between them might grow heavy — burdened by the weight of what could’ve been.
So, with a heart full of both love and longing, he said goodbye to Fatima.
And he continued walking — toward the treasure, and toward himself.
There’s a beautiful line by Chinese writer Giao Binh Ao:
“The ones who truly live are the ones who know how to let go.”
Because only by letting go, do we ever truly gain.
The people who do great things in this world are not the ones who chase comfort.
They’re the ones who are willing to give up temporary ease — for something that sets their soul on fire.
Because real motivation doesn’t come from applause, rewards, or admiration.
It comes from a fire inside.
And if you feel even a flicker of that flame —
follow it.
III. Part 3 : The true treasure and the greatest lesson
As Santiago continued his journey, the challenges grew deeper.
While crossing the desert, he was captured by a group of military tribesmen.
They took everything — all the money he had spent years earning.
And then came the unthinkable:
He was told he would be executed… unless he could turn himself into the wind within three days.
Faced with this impossible task, Santiago didn’t panic.
He didn’t collapse under fear.
Instead, he turned inward.
He opened his heart, leaned into silence, and listened —
to the sun, to the wind, to the soul of the world.
With guidance from the Alchemist and deep communion with the universe,
Santiago did the unthinkable.
He became the wind — not in a literal sense, but in spirit, in essence.
And in doing so, he saved his life.
Finally, after walking thousands of miles,
after crossing countries, deserts, and inner thresholds,
Santiago arrived at the pyramids — the place he’d seen in his dreams.
The place he believed his treasure would be buried.
But there, instead of riches, he was attacked.
Beaten by thieves.
Left broken, bruised, and empty-handed.
It felt like the cruelest ending —
Until one of the thieves laughed and said something strange:
“Funny thing… I had a dream once about treasure buried under a sycamore tree in Spain.”
In that instant, Santiago’s heart stopped.
Because that tree was in the very church where he’d first slept with his flock of sheep.
Where it had all begun.
The treasure… had been at home all along.
But here’s the truth: if Santiago had never left,
he would’ve never become the man he became.
He would’ve never discovered his strength,
or learned to speak the language of the world.
He would’ve never met the Alchemist.
He would’ve never known love.
And he would’ve never understood this one truth:
What you’re looking for is often right where you began —
but you have to leave, you have to journey far,
to see it clearly.
As Friedrich Nietzsche once said:
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”
And as Paulo Coelho himself wrote:
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
Because the treasure… isn’t just gold.
It’s who you become along the way.
It’s the courage you build,
the moments you don’t forget,
the love you discover,
and the deep, quiet knowing that your life was lived with meaning.
Even if the dream doesn’t unfold exactly the way you imagined,
you won’t walk away empty.
Because like Santiago, you will have lived —
fully, deeply, unapologetically.
And that?
That is the real treasure.
IV. Final words: Always be brave enough to chase your dreams
Always Be Brave Enough to Chase Your Dreams — Never Let Reality Silence Your Heart
Dear friends, please remember this:
If you have a dream, follow it. Relentlessly.
Never abandon the dream that lives quietly inside you.
Even when reality feels harsh or heavy,
keep your dream alive —
right there, in the warmest part of your heart.
No one can stop you from living the life you long for — except you.
Believe in this: every true motivation comes from the fire within.
And know this: there is no tomorrow you cannot rise to meet.
For the rest of our lives,
may we all have the courage to face the deepest longings of our hearts.
To move toward our dreams.
To live with intention.
To take full responsibility for our lives —
and to make them shine.
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Take good care.
And may you walk forward with light in your heart.
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