Have you ever let an ambition slip away? Paulo Coelho’s dream was to be a writer and The Alchemist is the book that made that dream a reality. It’s celebrated as a fable about the wonder of exploration – not just of the outside world, but of our inner one.

Santiago, the main character, is a lonely shepherd boy who travels with his flock across the countryside of southern Spain. Despite choosing this path over being a priest, Santiago feels uneasy. He wants more from life.

Relying on a flock of sheep for his income means Santiago is bound to the animals. He realizes he's living to work instead of working to live – and fear is keeping him from breaking that cycle. Then he meets two people who inspire him to sell his flock and begin an adventure.

First, Santiago sees a gypsy woman to help interpret a recurring dream where he’s transported to the pyramids. He’s told that it’s a vision “in the language of the world” and that there’s treasure waiting for him in Egypt.

Second, a king in disguise tells Santiago that everyone has their own “Personal Legend” – the one thing they’ve always wanted to accomplish. When you really want something, he says, “all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”. This sets Santiago’s quest in motion.

Santiago is robbed when he reaches Africa. It takes him a year to save up enough money to buy another flock and go home, but he decides to resume his quest at the last minute. On a trek across the desert, an alchemist tells him: “There is only one way to learn... through action.”

The ups and downs of Santiago’s adventure culminate with an epiphany. By fulfilling his own destiny, he realizes that the purpose of his adventure was not physical treasure, but following a path of discovery and knowledge that takes him from an unfulfilling life to a meaningful o

So what is the main message of The Alchemist? You shape your own luck by taking action. If you choose to chase your dream, the universe will conspire to help you. Even if you fail once, twice, or three times, your tireless effort will not go unrecognized or unrewarded.

Another message of the book is that romantic love can’t be the most important thing in your life. Creating our own destiny is more important because it allows you to act with true purpose independently. To keep on that path and stay positive requires honest self-reflection.

Ultimately, the overarching theme of The Alchemist is that life is short – so don't let doubts get in the way. But to truly understand how the book became a phenomenon that sold over 68m copies worldwide, we need to look at the story behind it...