For most people, the religion they follow, as well as the God they believe in, are the two most important factors in their religion. Most religions have similar philosophies, with guidelines that involve being kind, honest, not cheating, and other basic moral rules. But the biggest controversy arises when naming a god and the means to get closer to that god. Although it can be inferred that Santiago, the protagonist of The Alchemist, is strongly influenced by Judeo-Christian values ​​through the different biblical symbols present in the book. However, he does not resort to traditional means to achieve religious fulfillment; instead, he rejects his father's notion of religion when he refuses to become a priest, due to his unique interpretation of his faith. People forget what religion is. It is simply a means by which people achieve spirituality – not a competition. Since spirituality is a connection between the heart and the mind, one must experience things differently from others to achieve it. This is why Santiago decides to become a shepherd. He is passionate about his travels, finds peace there and thus draws closer to God through these trips rather than as a priest in the Church. Everyone has different ways of achieving spirituality and religious status, but one commonality is that this can only be achieved by pursuing one's personal legend: one's life's purpose. Santiago attains both spirituality and religion in pursuit of his personal legend. Religion in The Alchemist is used to manifest the idea that there is a greater meaning to Santiago's life and that it is his duty to realize that meaning; it also provides the basic discipline and structure he needs to acquire spirituality, without which Santiago could never have achieved his personal legend. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay In The Alchemist, the concept of personal legend plays a religious role in Santiago's quest, convincing Santiago that he has a goal to fulfill this role. is bigger than his own life and gives Santiago the outline to follow to achieve his final goal. In many cases, religion is where a person has faith in the unknown, and in this quest for the unknown, religion provides outlets to refer to in case a person becomes lost. These materials include sacred texts, religious figures, and signs that have symbolic or historical importance and are an important feature of religion because they allow a person to look back and see where they stand. In this novel, Melchizedek, who is a king of Salem, plays a vital role in the universe by convincing people and things of their personal legend. Melchizedek presents Santiago with an idea that has the characteristics of a religion that tells Santiago to take control of his own life and follow his personal legend. Initially, Santiago is unsure about this concept of personal legends that Melchizedek introduces, however, when he witnesses and desires the freedom with which the wind called Levanter moves, he decides, like any religious person , to take an act of faith towards the unknown. by selling his sheep and boarding the boat for Tangier. This aspect of uncertainty present in Santiago's Personal Legend parallels the concept of religion because they both require faith, which is the ability to believe in the unknown. Another reason why Personal Legendsact like a religion is that they provide outlets like other religions. as omens for visual confirmation of Santiago's position. Omens are an important part of religion because according to Melchizedek “God has prepared a path that everyone can follow [and they] need only read the omens he has left for them” (Coelho 30). In this case, personal legends can be classified as a religion because of its use of outlets. It is not entirely independent as it depends on God to make certain aspects work. Without the work of God and these omens: Santiago would never have dropped the Urim and Thummim (which are stones that decipher omens) reminding him once again of his personal legends, he would not have given any meaning in battle with the falcons and would have been killed in battle when the armies invaded the oasis to maraud, and he would not have noticed the importance of the scarab in the desert, and therefore could never find its treasure. In the book we see introduced the concept of personal legends which can be classified as a religion itself, and this religion provides Santiago with outlets and means to achieve his end goal, however, it is a religion which does not is not entirely independent since it relies on God to make certain things happen and therefore only exists to complement already established religions. Spirituality is the crucial concept of having the mind and heart in total synchronization with each other; without this, a person will never be able to perform his job one hundred percent; this can only be achieved after your beliefs and desires have been rigorously tested, which in Santiago's case is his journey to achieve his personal legend. His beliefs and his will are tested with every turn of the book's page, and as these tests become more difficult, the progress he is making toward achieving peace with his heart becomes evident. After being robbed, Santiago cries over the loss of his sheep and his mind begins to think of "selling the stones [Urim and Thummim] and buying a return ticket [back to Andalusia]", however, later, then that he “runs his fingers slowly over the stones, feeling their temperature and feeling their surface”, tells his heart “when you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you get it” and then continues his journey (Coelho 42-43). In this, his spiritual weakness can be seen as a conflict between his mind and his heart and recognizes their desires, but he fears that he will never be able to return to his former life as a shepherd. However, his faith and religion begin to take shape. Later, he meets Fatima, who turns out to be the love of his life, and he is afraid of losing Fatima in the pursuit of his personal legend. Santiago realizes that his heart is trying to distract him from his personal legend and calls him a “traitor” (Coelho 132). He asks the alchemist why he should listen to his heart when he is committing "betrayal" and the alchemist responds by telling him "You can never escape your heart." So it's better to listen to what he has to say. This way you will never have to fear an unexpected blow” (Coelho 132). He is still not satisfied and tells the alchemist that "[his] heart is afraid of having to suffer" and in response the alchemist tells him "that no heart suffers when it goes in search of its dreams , because each second of the search is a second encounter with God” (Coelho 134). This thought comforted Santiago and “from that moment on, [he] understood his heart” (Coelho 136). At this stage, he still has some progress to make, but he has acquired the fundamentals. This was an important step because now his heart and mind are no longer in conflict and nothing was there :/>.