Alchemy and Evolution

As the book's title indicates, alchemy is the main theme. Alchemy is change. On a literal level, alchemy describes the transformation of base metal into precious gold. The process of alchemy is a force of nature, and it is not an easy transformation. Natural power turns base metal into gold, but in order to do so it takes a very long geologic time and exerts a tremendous amount of pressure and heat.

The alchemist is a person with rare, mysterious knowledge, who knows how to speed up that natural process and use special tools to create gold from lead. From the beginning of this story, Santiago is clearly interested in evolving and experiencing change. He learned language and religion through studying at the seminar, but he is dissatisfied with the learning that happens through books. He chooses to become a shepherd because he wants to travel...