Excerpt from The Alchemist

"I'm the King of Salem," the old man said.

"Why would a king be talking with a shepherd?" the boy asked, awed and embarassed.

"For several reasons. But let's say that the most important is that you have succeeded in discovering your destiny."

The boy didn't know what a person's 'destiny' was.

"It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny."

None of what the old man was saying made much sense to the boy. But he wanted to know what the 'mysterious force' was.

"It's a force that appears to be negative, but actually shows you how to realize your destiny. It prepares your spirit and your will, because there is one great truth on this planet; whoever you are, or whatever it is you want to do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth."

"Even when all you want to do is travel?"

"Yes, or even search for treasure. The Soul of the World is nourished by people's happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, and jealousy. To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation. All things are one. And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

They were both silent for a time, observing the plaza and the townspeople. It was the old man who spoke first.

"Why do you tend to a flock of sheep?"

"Because I like to travel."

The old man pointed to a baker standing in his shop window at one corner of the plaza. "When he was a child, he wanted to travel too. But he decided first to buy his bakery and put some money aside. When he's an old man, he's going to spend a month in Africa. He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of."

"He should have decided to become a shepherd," the boy said.

"Well, he thought about that," the old man said. "But bakers are more important people than shepherds. Bakers have homes, while shepherds sleep out in the open. Parents would rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds. "

The boy felt a pang in his heart, thinking about the merchant's daughter. There surely must be a baker in her town.

The old man continued, "In the long run, what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more important to them than their own destinies."

"Why are you telling me all this?" the boy asked.

"Because you are trying to realize your destiny. And you are at the point where you are about to give it all up."

...

The boy knew a lot of people in the city. That is what made travelling appeal to him - he always made new friends, and he didn't need to spend all his time with them. When someone sees the same people everyday they become part of that person's life. And then they want the want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.
- The Alchemist
Paolo Coelho