southern tip of Spain, and its capital is Seville. There are several "autonomous communities" in Spain, and Andalusia is one. Of these communities, Andalusia is the most populated, and it is a particularly large region. So as Santiago travels, there is a great deal of territory he can cover, traveling with his sheep.

A specific town to which Santiago travels is found on the southernmost coast of the Andalusia region (on the tip of Spain) and is called Tarifa. Located in the Cádiz province, Santiago mentions taking his sheep to this location to find grazing lands. The welfare of his animals is at the center of all that he does—for Santiago is a responsible and caring shepherd, and their health and safety, after all, guarantees his ability to survive as well. It is also here that Santiago travels to visit the gypsy to see if she can decipher the meaning of his recurring dream.

The boy travels through the desert to an unnamed oasis. However, it is not too much farther beyond that Santiago finds the Pyramids of Egypt, the place that has been shown in his recurring dream. At the end of the novel, Santiago reaches the Pyramids, and then receives information from one of the thieves that robs him that lets him know he must return home, to the same church ruins where the story began.

Santiago, the boy in The Alchemist, didn't travel around the world, but he did pass through most of Spain and the northern tip of Africa (below the Mediterranean Sea). There is an interesting map of the area in the Reader's Guide at the back of the 1998 version from  Harper/Collins Publishers. Santiago starts in Tarifa, Spain, then he crosses over to Tanger, Morrocco. The Oasis that he gets to after traveling with the caravan is in Faiyum, Egypt; and the pyramids are near Cairo, about 60 miles away. In the end, his treasure is actually back in Spain, so he travels back the way he had gone before. After finding the treasure, then his goal is to go back to Faiyum to get Fatima, the woman he loves. It takes Santiago about 2.5 years to accomplish this task, so it certainly seems like he travels all over the world. The journey, no matter how long it takes, is certainly the main teacher here, and not getting to the destination.

Yours is actually an interesting question.  In fact, I am wondering if it is a "trick" question.  Why?  Because even though the final part of the novel's journey is in Santiago finding the pyramids, the epilogue of the book reveals his return to Spain! 

First, it is important to note that Santiago's journey outside of his hometown does, indeed, end with finding the pyramids.  Unfortunately, he is mugged at that very moment.  Santiago tells the thieves of his dream of finding treasure and the thieves (or at least one of them) shares their dreams of finding treasure as well.  The irony of the dream is that the dream of treasure is about a little church in Spain and the treasure buried there.  Santiago promptly interprets this dream as meaning the treasure he seeks is actually in his own hometown church!

THUS, the actual end of Santiago's journey comes in the Epilogue when Santiago is no longer in Egypt, but has traveled back to Spain and finds the treasure.  It is here, of course, that Santiago utters his famous line:

I'm coming, Fatima.

Truly, and in this way, not only have Santiago's dreams become reality, but they have become a reality in his own hometown.  It is this journey back to his hometown that ends Santiago's quest.

In the volume I have, there is a wonderful map at the back of the book that shows Santiago's trek from Spain to Egypt. It is interesting to note that the journey somewhat follows a parallel line of the Mediterranean Sea where many Biblical stories are set. As mentioned in the novel, Africa was only about two hours away from Spain and one could look out across the water and actually see the other continent. The beginning of Santiago's journey seems relatively close to home compared to the length of distance and time that it eventually turns into. The time at the Crystal Merchant's shop is 11 months, the caravan is a few more months, time at the Oasis lasts a few months, and his time with the Alchemist before reaching the Pyramids is a few months. When all is said and done, it's not only places that matter, but the distance and time spent that create the journey, too.