Santiago digs a hole at the base of the tree where he had had his first dream. Sure enough, he finds a trunk full of gold–enough for him and Fatima to live happily for a long time.
The Question and Answer section for The Alchemist (Coelho) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
Santiago digs a hole at the base of the tree where he had had his first dream. Sure enough, he finds a trunk full of gold–enough for him and Fatima to live happily for a long time.
This is very much a perspective question. It would be possible to have a good life but the complete fulfillment would not be there. The crystal merchant, for example, lived a good life but not one that was fulfilled.
He left Santiago to complete his journey alone because this was how Santiago was meant to fulfill his own personal destiny.