這本書描寫的是一個男孩Santiago勇敢去追求夢想的寓言故事。他為了旅行放棄成為一個牧師而成為一個牧羊者，之後又賣掉了所有的羊而到非洲去追尋在金字塔下的寶藏，沒想到才到非洲的第一天錢就被騙光了，可是他並沒有因此而氣餒，又在賣水晶玻璃店裏創出了另一個成功的事業，當他存夠了錢時，他就回家了嗎？並沒有！他繼續前進薩哈拉沙漠去追尋在金字塔下的寶藏，在綠洲他遇到了心愛的女人，同時也在煉金者的引導下，離開綠洲前往金字塔，他能找到埋藏在金字塔下的寶藏嗎？而這樣他及我們又有什麼重要的意義呢？適合12歲以上兒童閱讀。

Satiago不論是在牧羊、水晶玻璃店甚至最後在綠洲當顧問，都表現得非常稱職，同時也替自己累績了相當的財富，每當他們停在原地時，內心就有個聲音在迫使他繼續往金字塔前進，也就是為什麼最後在煉金者的引導下他開始懂得和自己的內心對話，和天地及大自然對話，最終終於到達了目的地。

在現實生活中，很多人都跟Satiago一樣有著夢想，可是最後能抵達終點的又有幾個人呢？有些人還沒有付諸行動就放棄了，大部份的人半途就中止了，你是屬於一類的人呢？你有足夠的勇氣去放棄現有安定的生活而勇敢去尋找那份屬於你並藏在金字塔下的寶藏嗎？

This inspirational fable by Brazilian author and translator Coelho has been a runaway bestseller throughout Latin America and seems poised to achieve the same prominence here. The charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who dreams of seeing the world, is compelling in its own right, but gains resonance through the many lessons Santiago learns during his adventures. He journeys from Spain to Morocco in search of worldly success, and eventually to Egypt, where a fateful encounter with an alchemist brings him at last to self-understanding and spiritual enlightenment. The story has the comic charm, dramatic tension and psychological intensity of a fairy tale, but it’s full of specific wisdom as well, about becoming self-empowered, overcoming depression, and believing in dreams. The cumulative effect is like hearing a wonderful bedtime story from an inspirational psychiatrist. Comparisons to The Little Prince are appropriate; this is a sweetly exotic tale for young and old alike. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo.

Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.