The book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, is interesting, very well written, and has underlying meanings which anyone could spot and others that are more difficult to find. Many of the underlying meanings are traditional proverbs or cliché saying that we teach our children and are echoed throughout hundreds of books. The protagonist, Santiago, is lead through his journey by many 'teachers' (including people, animals, the caravan, and the wind, sun, desert, …showed first 75 words of 1113 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1113 total…lost and gained easily, but knowledge we keep forever. <Tab/>I doubt many single individuals will completely understand this book, I don't think I do, it needs to be reread and discussed in a group. It is definitely not one that a business should hand out to its employees, if they did they could expect a large number to quit and come back a few years later wanting their jobs back.