he is seeing an image of himself and falls in love with it, believing it to be somebody else. Eventually, he dies of longing and is turned into the flower called narcissus.

In Coelho's retelling, this judgmental tale of self love punished is turned around. We see Narcissus from the point of view of the pool of water. The pool mourns Narcissus's death because his beauty, reflected in the pond, was a gift to it. The message is that we all have gifts we bestow without even knowing it. In a book that dwells on the positive—discovering and embracing your own Personal Legend—this positive retelling of an old myth sets a tone that asks us to rethink what we think we know and to be open to possibility and the life lessons that surround us.

The original Greek myth about Narcissus tells the story of a beautiful young man who becomes obsessed with his own reflection. In Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, a chapter about the origin of flower names explains how Nemesis, a goddess of anger, curses Narcissus after he rejects the love of a nymph named Echo. He is cursed to only love his own reflection, and he dies beside the water bank, staring at his own reflection. After his death, the nymphs name the flower that grows on the bank after Narcissus.

The story ends here in classic mythology, but Coelho adds to the story, giving the body of water that Narcissus stares into a personality and agency in the ending. In Coelho's version, the lake is sad about Narcissus dying, and it transforms into a saltwater lake, a lake of tears. When asked why he is sad, he says it is because of Narcissus's death, because by the reflection in Narcissus's eyes, the lake could contemplate its own beauty.

The original myth contains a critical theme about vanity and selfishness, revealing Narcissus to be punishable and cruel for his rejection of Echo. Coelho's myth doesn't mention that Narcissus was cursed at all, only that he loved himself and that the lake loved itself as well because of what it could see of itself in Narcissus. This shifts the message away from criticism and more toward a theme of contemplation. It begs the reader to consider how we learn about ourselves through the eyes of others, or perhaps it asks us to consider our dependence on outside sources to understand ourselves.

As for Coelho's intention for including this preface, considering authorial intent can always help the reader to make an educated guess. Since The Alchemist contains themes of self-discovery and dependence upon the universe to find personal fulfillment, it is reasonable to conclude that Coelho intended to start readers' minds upon the idea that everything is connected in the same way that Narcissus needed the lake and the lake needed Narcissus. Santiago, in his journey toward his treasure, needs many people to find his way and learn his mission. This altered myth suggests that the people Santiago meets along his path need him in much the same way that he needs them.

The short prologue of The Alchemist sets up much of the novel that follows. It does not tell the reader anything about the plot of the book; instead, it briefly introduces us to some of its central themes.

Unlike the traditional telling of the myth of Narcissus, this version dwells more on the vanity of the lake as well as that of Narcissus himself. The Alchemist expresses that this is a lovely version, perhaps indicating that he feels that vanity is a virtue rather than a vice. This book is about finding love and worth in yourself, something that the lake has done. In this way, the prologue subtly introduces the reader to the ideas that are developed later on. These include transformative journeys, love, and fulfilling one's personal legend.

This version of the myth of Narcissus also shows the idea that individuals are not solitary beings. Everyone and everything is part of a greater unity, and in many ways, we are all reflections of each other—just as Narcissus's beauty and the lake's were reflected in each other.

The theme of the book has to do with transformation and inward spiritual journeys. That is, Santiago travels across the world in search of treasure but what he receives is the wisdom and insight to know that the treasure was always at his home. It is not that his journey was pointless; rather, the point of his journey was something different than what he thought it was.

The Narcissus story quoted at the beginning of the novel encapsulates this thinking. In the retelling of the story, Narcissus’s death in the lake is not the end, but rather, the catalyst for the lake’s own “reflection” on Narcissus. In this version, it is not Narcissus looking at his reflection in the lake that is decisive; it is the lake looking back at Narcissus. The idea that the lake sees its own beauty reflected in the depths of Narcissus's eyes can be understood several ways. First, the lake is admiring its own beauty in the same way that Narcissus does. Second, this appreciation of beauty depends on the relationship between Narcissus and the lake—that is, Narcissus cannot know his own image without the lake, just as the lake gains knowledge of its own beauty because of what it sees in Narcissus’s reflection. Third, this relationship implies the connectedness of all things: it is through others that we come to know beauty. Just as Santiago finds that the purpose of his journey was something other than what he thought, the true purpose of Narcissus’s gaze is something other than mere self-regard.

As the Alchemist is reading the Myth of Narcissus, the notion of transformation is evident.  Originally told in its Greek form, the Narcissus myth is extremely sad and depressing.  Narcissus falls in love with his reflection, falls into the lake, and drowns.  Essentially, beauty becomes self- love and represents self- destruction.  However, the alchemist is reading a different version of the myth.  In the version that the alchemist is reading, the lake begins to weep because it sees itself in Narcissus' eyes.  

In the Alechmist's version of the myth, transformation is evident.  There is a transformation from the bleak and painful version of the myth to something more beautiful and redemptive.  In the version that the Alchemist reads, beauty is everywhere.  The same beauty that Narcissus sees, the lake sees in Narcissus' reflection.  In this version, essentially, nature is a mirror and we reflect the beauty in it.  The more beauty we seek to inject into the world, the more beauty there is to see.  It is for this reason that the Alchemist declares this version of the myth "a lovely story."  Coelho starts off with this modified version of the myth to establish that the essence of consciousness as being transformational, to see what is and transform it into what can be.  The other purpose in starting off with this myth is to establish the idea of beauty in the world and the courage to look for it wherever it might exist.  This is something that Santiago takes to heart in his quest for his Personal Legend.

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, it is ironic that the author prefaces his tale with a story about Narcissus, perhaps the first ego-maniac.

I find it curious that Coelho uses the entire version of the Narcissus tale here—for the rest of the story is so much about being one with the universe. I never get the sense that the story promotes self-interest while ignoring the rest of the humanity. Santiago is a young man with manners. He listens to Melchizedek simply to be polite even when he thinks the "King of Salem" is just a rambling old man. He is not greedy. He does look for treasure, but when he is robbed, he is not so eaten up with the desire for riches that he pushes relentlessly on. In fact, he is ready to stop searching for his Personal Legend and the treasure, and be satisfied caring for his sheep for the remainder of his life. He feels the same way when he meets Fatima. For her, he believes he needs nothing else.

"I want to stay at the oasis," the boy answered. "I've found Fatima, and, as far as I'm concerned, she's worth more than treasure."

It seems to me that the story of Narcissus and the lake shows that everyone is very much the same. Narcissus is said to have been punished because he was such an egotist and so unkind. He drowns, and then the lake becomes salty with tears. We expect it is because the lake cries for the loss of the conceited Narcissus. However, the lake is just as guilty as Narcissus was: she could only see her beauty in his eyes, missing anything significant about him.

It would appear, then, that the story says we are all in the same boat. We all can see only that which pertains to us: it seems a sad commentary that all mankind is described as being like Narcissus.

I must admit, however, that I do not know if I completely understand why the alchemist finds it such a "lovely" tale. Perhaps it is because of the simple-mindedness of the Narcissus and the lake— that they foolishly lose sight of what is important in life, when the answer is there for anyone willing to look beyond the end of his/her own nose.

The alchemist notes:

There is only one way to learn...It's through action.

Perhaps the alchemist sees the tale as "lovely" in a trite and nonsensical way—a whimsical story with a surprise ending. For had Narcissus acted upon anything outside of himself, his fate would have been quite different.