Vocabulary in The Alchemist

Shown back as an image, the way a mirror or still water shows you your own face. Here the lake's surface acts like a mirror, showing Narcissus his own appearance.

The salty liquid that flows from eyes when a person weeps. The text uses the phrase to show the lake has been transformed by grief into something bitter and changed.

Happening again and again, not just once. A recurring dream is one that returns to the same person on multiple nights with the same images.

A room in a church where sacred objects and the priest's robes are stored. In the novel it is a side room of the abandoned church where Santiago shelters his flock.

The unique purpose or dream that each person is born to fulfill in their lifetime. The novel treats it as a sacred calling that the universe itself wants you to achieve.

First came into being or had its starting point in a particular place or source. The text uses it to say that deep desires do not begin with the individual but with the universe.

Works together secretly toward a shared goal. In this text it is used positively: the whole universe quietly cooperates to help a person reach what they truly want.

To actively go after something over time, putting in effort to reach it. The novel uses it for chasing one's deepest dreams rather than giving up on them.

To have earned or be worthy of something good. In context, people doubt they are good enough to receive the fulfillment of their greatest dreams.

A person who earns a living by buying and selling goods. In the novel the crystal merchant owns a shop and trades in glassware.

Someone who willingly travels into unknown or dangerous situations in search of something exciting or valuable. Santiago uses the word to describe his own quest for treasure.

The distant lines where the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet. In the desert passage the word conveys how vast and endless the landscape feels.

The invisible spiritual force the novel says connects every living and non-living thing in existence. Understanding it allows a person to read omens and communicate with nature.

Completely still and unchanging, not moving or growing. The text contrasts it with movement to describe two wrong kinds of love.

Watchful and ready to respond to danger at any moment. Santiago uses it as a warning for the oasis guards to stay awake and prepared for attack.

Signs or events in the natural world that are believed to signal what is about to happen. Santiago learns to read these signs as messages from the universe.

Substance in its most perfect, uncorrupted form. In the novel it refers to something real and lasting, as opposed to a fleeting moment that disappears.

To decay, rot, or be ruined over time. The text uses it to contrast things of lasting value with things that fade or disappear.

A universal way of communicating that goes beyond spoken words, understood by all living things and by nature itself. The alchemist recognizes Santiago as someone who already speaks it.

A joyful public celebration, often with music, food, and community. The alchemist uses it as a metaphor for how life feels when a person stays fully in the present moment.

An Arabic expression meaning 'it is written,' used in the novel to express the idea that certain events are destined and have already been decided by a higher power.

Members of a tribe, a group of people bound together by shared ancestry, territory, or leadership. In the novel they are desert warriors who capture Santiago and the alchemist.

Filled with a mixture of wonder, amazement, and even fear at something extraordinary. The warriors feel this way after witnessing Santiago transform himself into the wind.

A digging tool with a flat metal blade and a long handle, similar to a shovel. Santiago uses it to dig into the ground beneath the sycamore tree.

Willing to give freely and abundantly. In the novel it describes life itself as something that rewards those who have the courage to follow their true purpose.