What did the crystal merchant tell Santiago during their final good bye?

The crystal merchant says he will not go to Mecca, and Santiago will not go home. Santiago asks how he knows, and the crystal merchant says “maktub,” which means “it is written.”

What does the crystal merchant tell him that discourages Santiago?

The boy went to work for that man so he could buy sheep to return home. Somehow the crystal merchant discourages Santiago to buy the sheep because he tells Santiago that "maktub" let him know that Santiago will not buy his sheep, just as how he will not go to Mecca.

What deal do the crystal merchant and Santiago make at the end of Part 1?

At the end of Part One in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Santiago met the crystal merchant who offers him a job so that he can save money for his trip back home. Santiago accepts, realizing it will take more than a year to save enough money to buy sheep so that he can become a shepherd again.

What does Santiago ask for when he says goodbye to the merchant?

When the crystal merchant wakes up and comes into the shop, Santiago tells him that he is leaving that day. They both have enough money to fulfill their dreams. Santiago asks the crystal merchant for his blessing.

Why does the crystal merchant say Maktub?

Maktub. Many of the characters that Santiago meets during his journey use the word maktub, which as the crystal merchant explains, means “it is written.” The word typically appears just as Santiago is about to turn to a new chapter in his quest, usually by taking a big risk or abandoning a comfortable situation.

What effect does the merchant say Santiago has had on him?

List all the different ways, Santiago has an effect on the merchant. He has expanded the shop by convincing him to sell tea, he has taught him about omens, and the merchant tells him that he wants to live imagining about going to Mecca.

What fear does the crystal merchant have about Santiago's second suggestion of how do you improve his business?

What fear does the crystal merchant have about Santiago's second suggestion of how to improve his business? He will have to expand his business.

What is the crystal merchant's dream?

Crystal Merchant A middle-aged resident of Tangier, he hires Santiago to work in his shop. The crystal merchant's Personal Legend is to make a pilgrimage (or haj) to Mecca, but he knows he will never fulfill this dream. He is Santiago's foil, a character who characterizes another by contrast.

Why is the crystal merchant Santiago's foil?

He decides to forge onward in pursuit of his Personal Legend. In literary terms, the crystal merchant is considered to be Santiago's foil, a character who demonstrates by contrast everything that another character is and isn't.

What was Santiago's first exchange with the crystal merchant and what they learned from each other?

Santiago's first experience with the crystal merchant was eye-opening. He cleaned the crystal display in the window in exchange for a meal. Once the two met for lunch, he was offered a job to work for the merchant. Santiago realized he would not have enough money to travel to Egypt, so he would have to accept the job.

What does Santiago realize at the end of the Alchemist?

Summary: Epilogue

He wakes up digging and laughing about how God left gold at the monastery through the alchemist to ease his journey back. A voice in the wind says God wanted him to see the pyramids' beauty. Soon Santiago finds a chest of gold coins and jewels.

Why did the crystal merchant let Santiago clean the glasses?

The crystal merchant says it was a good omen that customers entered while Santiago cleaned and offers Santiago a job. Santiago says he will clean all the merchant's crystal overnight in exchange for money to get to Egypt.

Who finally tells them where the alchemist is?

The horseman tells Santiago to find him the next day after sunset if he survives the ensuing battle. Santiago asks the horseman where he lives, and the horseman simply points south before riding away. We learn that the mysterious horseman is the alchemist.

What happens after Santiago works for the crystal merchant?

Despite the lessons Santiago learns while working for the crystal merchant, he initially decides to use his earnings to buy a new flock of sheep and return to his old life. He must consult Urim and Thummim once more in order to renew his commitment to his goal.

What does the merchant say about the boy's journey home?

What does the merchant say about the boy's journey home? He joins a caravan heading towards Egypt. Where does the boy decide to go once he leaves the merchant's home? He is befriended by an Englishman in search of an alchemist in the desert.

Why does the crystal merchant become sad when he thinks of the pilgrimage to Mecca?

Santiago soon learns that the merchant feels unhappy because he has not fulfilled one of his dreams: to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. Because it's the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive.

Why is the crystal merchant afraid of change?

The crystal merchant resists these changes, because he is content with his small business, just as he fears realizing his dream of traveling to Mecca, because he worries that he won't have anything to live for if his dream is realized.

How does the crystal merchant influence the boy's actions?

How does the crystal merchant influence the boy's actions? By sharing his story and his regrets, the crystal merchant teaches the boy that some people would rather fantasize about their dreams than live them.

What does the crystal shopkeeper symbolize?

The Crystal Merchant represented someone who let fear controlled his life. He was a man who had a dream to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Do Santiago and Fatima end up together?

At the end of the narrative, Santiago returns to Fatima. This confirms what the Alchemist said about love: Santiago is able in the end to achieve both his Personal Legend and find his true love.

What does the crystal merchant symbolize in the alchemist?

The crystal merchant serves as an important friend to Santiago during Santiago's time in Tangier, but he also functions as a cautionary case of someone who has become complacent and given up the pursuit of his Personal Legend.

What is the crystal merchant's dilemma?

The crystal merchant is one of those people you want to pick up and shake into taking some action to make their lives better. The problem is that he doesn't want his life to be any better; he'd rather it always be the same than have to deal with change to make it better.

What happens at the end of the alchemist?

The ending, with Santiago coming back home to Spain to find his treasure, kind of like Dorothy finding that she's had the ruby slippers, her way home, all along, wraps up the novel in a nice circular way.

How does the crystal merchant influence Santiago?

The Alchemist

In desperate need of money, Santiago is hired by a crystal merchant, who tells him that even a year's wages would not pay his way to Egypt, which is thousands of kilometers distant. The crystal merchant offers to give Santiago enough money to return to Andalusia.