THE ARTISTIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE JOURNEY MOTIF IN PAULO COELHO’S THE ALCHEMIST

Abstract

This article deeply analyzes the artistic, philosophical, anthropological, and mystical dimensions of the journey and travel motif in Paulo Coelho's novel "The Alchemist". The study reveals that the journey of the protagonist Santiago is not merely a geographical movement, but rather an aspiration of the human spirit toward perfection, an initiation process, the reading of semiotic codes, and inner alchemy. Furthermore, the ideas of the work are comparatively studied through the lens of Eastern Sufi concept of "sayr-i suluk" and Carl Jung's theory of individuation, illuminating the stages of human realization along the path of discovering one's "Personal Legend".