Fault in The Crystal Merchant's Reasoning ― The Alchemist

The character of the crystal merchant in the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of the most evocative fictional characters I have ever read.

The merchant kept longing for a pilgrimage to Mecca his entire life, but when he finally became capable of transmuting his dream into a reality, he backed off.

He backed off because his mind was conquered by the preconception that he will have nothing left to go on living once his dream is realized.

The Startling Conservation between Santiago and The Crystal Merchant:―

Santiago ― Well, why don’t you go to Mecca now?

The Crystal Merchant ― Because it’s the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. That’s what helps me face these days that are all the same, these mute crystals on the shelves, and lunch and dinner at that same horrible cafe. I’m afraid that if my dream is realized, I’ll have no reason to go on living.

Understanding Crystal Merchant’s Perspective:―

It’s evident that there are some serious flaws in the Merchant’s line of reasoning.

For the merchant, who had invested thirty years of his life in the hope of fulfilling his dream, this “hope of fulfilling his dream” had become an integral part of his life. It had transpired into a source of energy that incessantly fueled him to happily withstand his otherwise monotonous life.

So, even a transient thought of realization of his “eternally overdue dream” threatened to rob him of his hope, his propellant, something that has become a part of his existence.

Hence, for the merchant, more than the joy of achieving something, the thought of realization of his dream carried with it a sense of indecipherable loss.

The Breakthrough:―

One day while rereading the book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, my eyes got stuck on a passage I had highlighted about 2 years ago.

Here’s the excerpt for you,

If your metric for the value “Success by Worldly Standards” is “Buy a house and a nice car,” and you spend twenty years working your ass off to achieve it, once it’s achieved the metric has nothing left to give you. Then say hello to your midlife crisis, because the problem that drove you your entire adult life was just taken away from you. There are no other opportunities to keep growing and improving, and yet it’s growth that generates happiness, not a long list of arbitrary achievements.

These words from Manson to a large extent solved my quest of What Would Be The Driving Force of My Life After My Dream is Realized?

The Fault in the Crystal Merchant’s Line of Reasoning:―

Manson’s words put forth the idea that the dream should be such that there is always room for growth and improvement because it’s growth that generates happiness, not a long list of arbitrary achievements.

This was the flaw with the crystal merchant’s dream. He had reputed his dream as the Final Destination.

While in reality, in our life, there is No Such Thing as Final Destination. There is NO STOPPING POINT.

These words from Manson further corroborated my existing belief that graduating from college, getting a job, buying a car, owning a house and other such desires are good to have but only when they are PRODUCED AS AN EFFECT OF SOME LARGER GOAL OF YOURS.

If you are beginning your career with these desires as your goal then sooner or later your shallow metric wIll have nothing left to offer you. Something that is very much evident from the thoughts of The Merchant’s character in The Alchemist.

Amazon Links to Buy the Books mentioned above:

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho | Amazon.in | Amazon US

2. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson | Amazon.in | Amazon US

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