Santiago and Fatima

Santiago and Fatima meet at the well of Al-Fayoum Oasis, and their encounter marks a turning point in Santiago's quest. When Santiago first sees Fatima, time seems to stand still, and the Soul of the World surges within him. He learns the most important part of the language that all the world speaks—love. Fatima, with her dark eyes and lips poised between a laugh and silence, becomes the omen he had been awaiting without knowing it. She tells him her name is Fatima, the name of the Prophet's daughter, and points south to where the alchemist lives. Santiago realizes that he has loved her before he even knew she existed, and that his love for her will enable him to discover every treasure in the world.

Love and the Language of the World

Santiago returns to the well every day to meet Fatima, telling her about his life as a shepherd, the king, and the crystal shop. They become friends, and each day without her seems endless. When he declares his love and asks her to be his wife, Fatima drops her water vessel, but she does not reject him. Instead, she tells him that the war that brought him to the oasis is a blessing because it brought him to her. She explains that the women of the desert are proud of their tribesmen, who are always in search of treasure. Santiago, tempted to abandon his quest, reminds himself that he could be a shepherd again, and that Fatima is more important than his treasure. But Fatima, understanding the universal language, tells him that she has become a part of him, and that she wants him to continue toward his goal. She says, "The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other." She concludes with the word "Maktub," meaning "It is written," and promises that if she is really a part of his dream, he will come back one day.

The Test of Separation

Santiago struggles with the idea of leaving Fatima, thinking of married shepherds who had difficulty convincing their wives to let them go off to distant fields. Fatima, however, is a desert woman who understands that men must go away in order to return. She tells him that those who do not return become a part of the clouds, the animals, and the water of the desert—they become the Soul of the World. She is proud to be a woman who waits, and she wants her husband to wander as free as the wind that shapes the dunes. When Santiago finally decides to leave with the alchemist, he goes to Fatima's tent before dawn, violating the Tradition. He tells her he is coming back, and she interrupts him, saying, "One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving." They embrace for the first time, and Fatima, though her eyes fill with tears, sends him off with hope. From that day on, the desert becomes for her a symbol of hope for his return, and she sends her kisses on the wind, hoping they will touch his face.

Love as the Force of Transformation

Throughout the remainder of his journey, Santiago's love for Fatima sustains him. When he is captured by the hostile chief and must transform himself into the wind to save his life, he speaks to the desert, the wind, and the sun, explaining that love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. He tells the sun that love is not static like the desert, nor does it roam like the wind; it is the force that makes everything strive to become better. His prayer, without words or pleas, reaches the Hand that Wrote All, and he performs the miracle. After finding the treasure at the abandoned church in Spain, the levanter wind brings him the scent of Fatima's perfume and the touch of a kiss. He smiles, knowing it is the first time she has done that, and says, "I'm coming, Fatima." Their love, which began at a well in the desert, proves to be the force that enables Santiago to complete his destiny and return to her.