# data[].attributes.body
Turning lead into gold symbolizes experiences being turned into knowledge. The alchemist’s main purpose in the story is to show the boy how important knowledge is.

# data[].attributes.body
The alchemy symbolizes the self progression of one’s knowledge and understanding of physical objects and spiritual moments.

# data[].attributes.body
Nearing the end of the story, the boy nears his treasure. The conflict of the story was about keeping with one’s personal legend, and the boy realizes it pays off.

# data[].attributes.body
This statement comes from the Alchemist himself, showing himself as a wise being with an existential quote. This energy from the Alchemist is seen throughout the story which helps the boy learn and see things he previously didn’t.

# data[].attributes.body
The boy tries his hardest throughout the story to appear intelligent, as he strives to gain knowledge. His inquisitive nature makes up part of his protagonist personality.

# data[].attributes.body
One of the many themes of the story is how age affects people’s belief in their own personal legend (dreams). The old man, later found out to be a king, tells the boy that some people become unmotivated to   fulfill a dream of theirs after a mysterious force (age) stops them. The boy seems to be motivated by this statement to fulfill his personal legend.

# data[].attributes.body
After months of traveling, discovering, and learning, the boy finally can settle down happy knowing his work had payed off. This quote can be interpreted two ways, as both his physical treasure and the treasure of knowledge were found.

# data[].attributes.body
Learning plays an important role in the story as the boy yearns for knowledge, but lacks the experience to digest all the information around him that he wishes to know. Through experiences and the help of the Englishman and the Alchemist, the boy begins to intuitively learn which he holds almost as valuable as his treasure.

# data[].attributes.body
In other words, those who are able to grasp parts of the world and utilize them are the ones who will succeed in life. This plays a crucial role in the boy’s discovery of his own ability.

# data[].attributes.body
A lot of the story takes place in Egypt, especially the desert. The heat and exhaustion of the Egyptian desert serves as a natural barrier for the group as they journey toward the Middle East.

# data[].attributes.body
The fact that the boy is a part of a real religion shows how the story takes place in the real world. Religion in this story shows that the boy has matured on a spiritual level.

# data[].attributes.body
Because they are conversing in Arabic, one can infer that they have travelled a great amount, reaching the Middle East from presumably Brazil. The boy also takes pride in his knowledge of the language.

# data[].attributes.body
The old man tells the boy about how people eventually refuse to experience things, even though they have dreamt of doing them. Visiting parts of the world constitutes much of the story, and this marks the beginning of that thought.

# data[].attributes.body
As the story comes to a close, the boy reminisces the enjoyment of the journey he had, indicating the eventual ending of the story.

# data[].attributes.body
As the story progresses, the encounters that seem minimal compared to what the boy wants, the treasure, are the most important, as he had learned along the way.

# data[].attributes.body
The boy hears from the Alchemist that eventually, people stop trying to achieve their goals. This coupled with the many previous experiences the boy had been given motivates him to continue the journey.

# data[].attributes.body
The boy’s sheep are symbolic of the clueless, basic people of the world. They only follow the ones who think freely and cannot provide for themselves. The boy, while loving of his sheep, has a lack of respect for them to an extent as they have lost all ability to think without his presence.

# data[].attributes.body
They boy thinks about the future constantly throughout the story, showing his proactive and mature nature. He yearns to be wise and knowledgeable which is why he tries hard to keep his life organized.

# data[].attributes.body
After hearing the old man talk about the ignorant, and unmotivated people in the world, the boy seems irritated as he feels that he is one of those people. This is also one of the changing factors in the boys character progression throughout the story.

# data[].attributes.body
The main theme of this story is the discovery of one’s personal legend. The boy, nameless throughout the story, hears from the old man that many people give up their personal legend with age, making their life incomplete. This marks the base of the story, as the rest of the book involves one final goal: to fulfill one’s personal legend.