How Did The Crystal Merchant Become A Good Friend To Santiago

The Crystal Merchant became a good friend to Santiago because he gave him a chance. In return, Santiago helped make the Crystal Merchant’s store successful again. The merchant did not like to take risks and did not like change. He was a religious man. His fear was fulfilling the fifth obligation in his Muslim religion, which was to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He feared making the trip because he believed that once he achieved this dream, he would have nothing else to live for. “Because it’s the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That’s what helps me face these days that are all the same, these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner in that same horrible café. I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason
to go on living.” (Crystal Merchant, page 57)

Santiago is a spiritual boy who chose to be a shepherd because he loved to travel.
He had a reoccurring dream that there was a treasure at the Pyramids. After talking with Melchizedek, the King of Salem, I believe his fear was to not discover his Personal Legend of finding the treasure. “I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.” (Santiago, page 45) There were several omens along his journey that made him fearful of pursuing the treasure. When he met the alchemist at the oasis there was a tribal war happening around them making it dangerous to travel through the desert. Santiago said to the alchemist, “I have already found my treasure. I have a camel, I have my money from the crystal shop, and I have fifty gold pieces. In my own country, I would be a rich man.” (Santiago, page 119). The alchemist points out to Santiago that none of those things were found at the Pyramids. Then Santiago met Fatima and he decided that she was his treasure and didn’t want to leave the oasis. “I want to stay at the oasis. I’ve found Fatima, as far as I’m concerned, she’s worth more than treasure.” (Santiago, page 122) The alchemist said, “Because what kept you at the oasis was your own fear that you might never come back. At that point, the omens will tell you that your treasure is buried forever.” (Alchemist, page
124)

The Englishman is someone that Santiago meets when he plans to join the caravan through the desert. The Englishman’s Personal Legend was to find the universal language and to become an alchemist. He has spent a great amount of time studying various books learning to become an alchemist. He is not very friendly. He joins the caravan in search of a real alchemist who is 200 years old who can teach him the rest of what he needs to know. I believe his fear is to not fulfill his Personal Legend of becoming an alchemist. “He cancelled all his commitments and pulled together the most important of his books, and now here he was, sitting inside a dusty, smelly warehouse.” (Coelha, page 68). Once they reached the Al-Fayoum oasis, the Englishman could not find the alchemist. He asked Santiago to help him. “The Englishman was disappointed. It seemed he had made the long journey for nothing. The boy was also saddened; his friend was in pursuit of his Personal Legend.” After the Englishman meets the alchemist, he was told to turn lead into gold. The Englishman said to Santiago, “He told me I should try to do so. That’s all he said: ‘Go and try.’” (Englishman, page 98). The alchemist took little interest in the Englishman because he had gained most of his knowledge from books and not from studying his surrounding and experiences. Even Santiago tried to convince him during their trip through the desert to pay more attention to what was happening on the caravan.