In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a simple shepherd boy travels with his sheep, selling wool to make a living for himself. As he falls asleep one night, he has a dream telling him to go to the pyramids of Egypt to find his treasure. The next few nights, the boy gets the dream again. As he herds his sheep closer to the next city, he remembers an old fortune teller who specializes in dreams in the city. Once in the city, he finds the old woman, and she tells him to follow his dreams. The boy is still unsure as he walks back out onto the street. He loves his shepherd lifestyle, but he chose it for his yearning to travel. He had already seen all the fields of Spain, and he could only explore so much with his sheep. As he sits on a bench thinking, trying to read his book, an old man approaches him and attempts to make conversation. He claims he is a king of a faraway kingdom, and tells the boy to follow his heart. He gives him two stones that answer yes or no. He tells him to watch for omens and gives him other advice to guide him on his adventure. The boy makes his way to the pyramids, and on the way, he meets numerous notable characters who teach him life lessons and give more advice.
When I originally picked up this book, I thought it would be an adventure story with action and magic, but it ended up being a book about life and religion. I think the plot was not good, the characters were very simple, and the advice was repetitive. Some of the messages were good, like following your dreams, but there were only two women in the book, one an old lady he briefly speaks with, and the other a love interest who has no personality and does nothing except get water from a well every day. If you do decide to read this book, be aware that it is not an adventure novel, and it is very repetitive.