To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand The Alchemist. The symbolism is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of hermetic philosophy and Sufi mysticism most of the insights will go over a typical reader’s head. There’s also Santiago’s teleological drive toward his Personal Legend, which is deftly woven into his characterization. His spiritual methodology draws heavily fromAndalusian esoterica and medieval alchemy, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depth of Coelho’s parables, to realize they’re not just “inspirational”, they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence, people who dislike The Alchemist truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the humour in Santiago's spiritual catchphrase “Maktub,” which itself is a cryptic reference to Qur’anic determinism. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Paulo Coelho's genius unfolds itself on the page. What fools… how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have an Alchemist tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for horoscope girlie's eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they’re within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.