In Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist,” the crystal merchant has his shop in Tangier.
Tangier is where Santiago arrives after leaving Spain, beginning the difficult middle stage of his journey toward the Egyptian pyramids. Soon after reaching the city, he is robbed and left without money. He then finds work with a crystal merchant whose business has declined and whose shop sits on a hill overlooking the city.
Santiago’s practical ideas—such as displaying crystal outside the shop and serving tea in crystal glasses—help revive the merchant’s trade. Their relationship gives Santiago money, experience, and a clearer understanding of the difference between security and pursuing one’s “Personal Legend.”
Readers may confuse Tangier with Cairo because the pyramids are Santiago’s destination, not the crystal merchant’s location. Lisbon and Madrid are also plausible-sounding European choices, but Santiago begins his story as a shepherd in Andalusia before crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to North Africa.