The Alchemist, Bildungsroman.

The Alchemist is another example of a bildungsroman, made evident through the main character Santiago.  Like the protagonists in other novel, Santiago goes through a journey of self-cultivation in which he discovers many things about himself.  For Santiago, it takes a departure from the environment he knew as home to seek out his soul.  Through his travels from Spain to Egypt, seeking a treasure he is not really sure of, he is able to find out more than he even imagined about himself and ends up returning back to where he started.  Unlike the character of Esperanza, who develops herself in the confines of her community and sometimes without an option, Santiago chooses to undergo an actual journey.  However, this just reiterates the point from the novel of how everyone has their own personal legend, and these differences just represent how there are numerous ways that people can discover themselves and bring more fulfillment to their life.