How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"It's a dream in the language of the world," she said. "I can interpret it, but the interpretation is very difficult." (1.61)
Uh-huh. Super difficult—except that "interpretation" of Santiago's dream is 100% literal. In the dream a kid tells him to find a hidden treasure at the pyramids, and her reading is that he will find a hidden treasure at the pyramids. Maybe he just needed someone else to confirm for him—or maybe she's a con artist.
Quote #5
So the boy was disappointed; he decided that he would never again believe in dreams. (1.71)
After the gypsy's mega-obvious reading of his dream, Santiago feels like a sucker. He's going to feel like a bigger sucker when he realizes that she's totally right.
Quote #6
"You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just want to dream about Mecca." (2.28)
You might have a friend like the crystal merchant: someone who spends his life talking about doing something, like starting a rock band or sailing to Cuba. You may even be this person. Well, The Alchemist is here to tell you to follow your dreams, no matter how wacky. (And Shmoop is here to tell you that your chances of making it big as a rock band are about as good as our chances of making the NBA. And we're pretty short.)