Santiago leads his flock through the fields of Andalusia. He finds an old abandoned church and a cemetery where he and his flock can spend the night. He sleeps on the stone floor using his book as a pillow. He anticipates his approach to the Andalusian village where, a year earlier, he had met the daughter of a merchant. Santiago and his flock approach the city. He had been grazing this flock for two years. He often reflects on what he has learned from his sheep and what they have learned from him. He observes that the sheep are completely dependent on him to bring them food and water. Not having to get food themselves, they forgot their instincts. Santiago thinks of the beautiful merchant's daughter. He imagines explaining to her why he knows…Santiago thinks about his argument with the old man. He is annoyed that the old man was right in saying that he was on the verge of giving up just as he found his destiny. Wandering around the city, he approaches a ticket seller, but does not buy a ticket to Africa, where he knows the Egyptian pyramids are located. He knows he could buy a ticket with the money he could earn from selling just one of his sheep. While he is at the ticket office, he decides to go back to graze his flock. He thinks that neither the old gypsy nor the old man understand what it means to have a flock of sheep that depend on them. While Santiago imagines staying with his flock, the wind intensifies... Santiago begins to work for the crystal. merchant and receives a good commission for the sale of each piece. He wants to earn more money to buy some sheep and realizes that, at the rate he is going, it will take him a year. He offers to build a shop window to place outside and attract more customers. The crystal merchant doesn't like things changing and resists Santiago's attempt to change things. After some thought and discussion, he gives Santiago his approval to build the storefront. Within two months, the display is a great success, attracting many customers to the store. In another six months, Santiago will be able to afford to return home and buy twice as many sheep. Working in the shop he... The caravan proceeds towards the oasis. While the Englishman tries to observe the desert and learn its language, Santiago reads the Englishman's books and learns about alchemy.