Person and Person Interaction The Influence of Person and Person Interaction

During his time at the seminary, Santiago learns a lot. His experiences give him benefits. He becomes a good interpreter. When Melchizedek, the King of Salem, tells him about the story of a person who searches for the secret happiness Coelho 31-32, he understands it very well. Santiago does not ask any question, and so he just keeps silent. Santiago realizes that he has to take care of his responsibilities while he travels. He reflects it to his life as a shepherd. “The shepherd said nothing. He had understood the story the old king told him. A shepherd may like to travel, but he should never forget about his sheep.” Coelho 32 As an intelligent person, Santiago learns fast. When Melchizedek tells him to pay attention in omens on his way of finding the treasure, he has the skills of reading the omens. He learns from his experiences in life as a shepherd. Santiago has careful thoughts and observation in order to learn from his sheep. The old man had spoken about the signs and omens, and, as the boy was crossing the strait, he had thought about omens. Yes, the old man had known what he was talking about: during the time the boy had spent in the fields of Andalusia, he had become used to learning which path he should take by observing the ground and the sky. He had discovered that the presence of a certain bird meant that a snake was nearby, and that a certain shrub was a sign that there was water in the area. The sheep had taught him that. Coelho 34-35 When he arrives at Tangier, Africa, he helps a candy seller to open his stall. Both of them speak with their own languages but they can understand each other well. Santiago speaks in Spanish and the candy seller speaks in Arabic Coelho 43. When Santiago meets Fatima, he does not say a word. He feels that life stands still when he sees into her dark eyes and her lips. He thinks that he does not need to understand any words because his heart is already known. Love is something that people cannot explain. It is the Pure Language of the World Coelho 93. His intelligence in understanding omens, then, save many people in the oasis of a desert from a war. When Santiago walks alone in the desert, he sees two hawks fly above him. Suddenly one of them flies attack another one. As he notices their movements, he has a vision, an army is coming, riding to the oasis, completing with its swords. He sees it as an omen for the oasis where he lives because there is a war near the oasis Coelho 99-113. An intelligent person is a creative person, too. Santiago knows that his knowledge of omens can improve his life. When he works at a crystal shop, he makes some improvements, for example by installing a display shelves to attract customers. He also learns Arabic well while working there, so that he can do the business in Arabic very well. With his intelligence, Santiago realizes that he can get back to Spain soon. He plans to buy many sheep and to enlarge his business in Africa Coelho 56. Thus, from his thoughts and actions, it can be concluded that Santiago is an intelligent person. His action of studying in seminary shows that he is brilliance. He can speak some languages, can understand advice, and omens during his journey to find treasure.