The Alchemist (part I)

The Alchemist - Paul Coelho

"People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being..."

Even though I only read through a few chapters in this book, it found it quite interesting. This story is set in Spain. The protagonist seems to be a young shepherd named Santiago. The story started when he met a beautiful girl who is the daughter of a wool merchant. When he travelled from town to town, he would always be thinking about the girl and how he could impress her. One day, he travelled into a town where he met a gypsy. She told him about a treasure in Egypt but he didn't believe her. He then sat on a bench in the town square. He met an old man who also told him about treasure however this time, the old talked to him about philosophy to convince the shepherd about the treasure. Finally, the shepherd was convinced and crossed the strait to Africa.

So far, this book has many interesting philosophical questions that left me thinking after reading it. It piques my curiosity. The character development in the book so far is not visible but I have a feeling that it will turn out to be an awesome book. I'm looking forward to read more of Santiago's adventure.