What stylistic strategies does Coelho use to make The Alchemist come across as a mythic, universally applicable story?

Lauren Miller

, written by , comes across as mythic and universally applicable.
This is a timeless story because it teaches the lesson of realizing "personal
legends," or following one's dreams, and pursuing these dreams by making decisions. This is
something humans will always aspire to do and will wish to learn about.

This
story is universally applicable and timeless because Coelho does not use specifics in his
descriptions of places or people. Although there are specific people and places mentioned, such
as Santiago (the main character) and the fact that the story begins in Spain, most of the places
and characters are left vague.

When Santiago describes the people he is
meeting, he often refers to them as the things they represent in his life or the jobs they do
for a living, such as "the merchant," "the fortune teller," "the
Englishman," and "the Alchemist." Even the girl Santiago falls in love with,
Fatima, is not explicitly described. By not describing...