The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

A Spanish shepherd named Santiago sells his sheep and ventures into northern Africa to travel to the pyramids and find his "treasure." The adventures he has along the way increase his life skills and enhance his spirituality. There is much that is mystical in his experience, the basic lesson being that "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." As a simple moral tale, The Alchemist has been compared to Jonathan Living Seagull and St. Exupery's The Little Prince. It is pretty easy to read but difficult to pull Santiago's experiences into a cohesive philosophy.