Santiago is a young Andalusian shepherd who loves his sheep and the open country. When a recurring dream of treasure at the Egyptian pyramids begins to stir something in him, his quiet life is about to change.
Santiago has chosen the life of a shepherd so he can travel. He knows each of his sheep by name and has learned to read the land and the skies. He is content—yet not entirely. Something in him is still searching.
"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
In his dream, a child tells him that if he comes to the Egyptian pyramids he will find a hidden treasure. Santiago has had this dream before. At first he dismisses it, but the dream keeps returning, planting a seed of restlessness.
Recurring dreams and persistent feelings are often the soul's way of pointing toward a Personal Legend. Ignoring them doesn't make them go away—it only leaves us with regret.
Santiago decides to see a gypsy woman in Tarifa to interpret the dream. She tells him the dream is in the language of the world: he must go to the pyramids and will find treasure there. She asks for one-tenth of the treasure in return. Santiago is both intrigued and skeptical—but the dream has been named, and the journey has begun in his mind.