Book review- The Alchemist

"My Lord I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word and my servant will be healed".
Jeewan said the Alchemist was a really good book from the Tazkiya point of view. That surprised me. In fact, when I took up the book, I was suprised that the main character in the story meets a lot of Muslims, and goes through Muslim lands. However, there's no mention of the name of Islam, or anything of that sort. The author does write some very interesting things about Islam, such as a crystal merchant's dream to go to Mecca for Pilgrimage; the tribal leaders' talk of Yusuf (upon him be peace) and his interpretation of the dream; and that Allah created all this in 6 days.
The backdrop in the story is superb. The blend is very smooth. You don't have to remember a single name. The destination is the Egyptian Pyramids. And personally, having been to the pyramids, the journey the shepherd makes through the dangerous desert to see the Pyramids is definitely worth it.
The story is very simple, and nice. The elemental forces in nature speak to the shepherd, and it's for the reader to reflect.
As Muslims, we should already know all this from our beliefs, and the book should serve as a pleasant reminder.
The underlying theme of the book is to realise your dreams no matter what it takes. Even if you have let go of all the gold you have.
In the first few pages of the book, the shepherd's father says that people come back to the town after all the travelling, and they don't change. And in the Qur'an, Allah encourages men to travel so that they may reflect and learn lessons. And that's what the shepherd believed in, as he started his journey. A journey where he was tested again and again, but he always always shown signs, that once you make a decision, the best thing is to stick to it, to get through it.