The Alchemist Quiz: Santiago's Journey Across the Desert

This the alchemist quiz joins a caravan across the Sahara. Play 10 interactive questions on Paulo Coelho's 1988 novel, the Andalusian shepherd Santiago, a dream of treasure near the pyramids, Melchizedek and two stones, working for a crystal merchant in Tangier, an Englishman studying alchemy, the oasis and Fatima, the Alchemist and where the treasure really lies.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Author
Who wrote The Alchemist?
Lang
In which language was it first written?
Hero
Who is the main character?
Home
Where is Santiago from?
Dream
Where does his dream say treasure lies?
King
Which king gives Santiago two stones?
Tangier
For whom does Santiago work in Tangier?
Oasis
Whom does Santiago fall in love with at the oasis?
Legend
What does the book call a person's true purpose?
Twist
Where is the treasure finally found?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Who wrote The Alchemist?
Answer: Paulo Coelho
Published in 1988.
Q2: In which language was it first written?
Answer: Portuguese
Coelho is Brazilian.
Q3: Who is the main character?
Answer: Santiago
A shepherd.
Q4: Where is Santiago from?
Answer: Andalusia, Spain
He herds sheep.
Q5: Where does his dream say treasure lies?
Answer: Near the Egyptian pyramids
A recurring dream.
Q6: Which king gives Santiago two stones?
Answer: Melchizedek
King of Salem.
Q7: For whom does Santiago work in Tangier?
Answer: A crystal merchant
He earns money.
Q8: Whom does Santiago fall in love with at the oasis?
Answer: Fatima
A desert woman.
Q9: What does the book call a person's true purpose?
Answer: Personal Legend
A key idea.
Q10: Where is the treasure finally found?
Answer: Back in Spain where he started
Under a sycamore.

A Shepherd's Desert Journey

Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, first written in Portuguese and published in 1988, follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd who dreams of treasure near the Egyptian pyramids. The mysterious Melchizedek, king of Salem, encourages him and gives him two stones.

Robbed in Tangier, Santiago works for a crystal merchant to earn money. He then joins a caravan across the Sahara, meeting an Englishman studying alchemy. At an oasis he falls in love with Fatima and meets the Alchemist, who teaches him to listen to his heart.

The book's central idea is following one's Personal Legend, a person's true purpose. In a twist, the treasure is finally found back in Spain, under a sycamore near where Santiago began, showing that the journey itself mattered.

What This Quiz Teaches

Book fans will enjoy these questions.

Who wrote the novel
Who Santiago is
Where he travels
Whom he meets
Where the treasure lies

Did You Know?

It became one of the best-selling books ever.
It has been translated into many languages.
Omens guide Santiago's path.
The story is told like a fable.
Coelho wrote it in about two weeks.