connections to The Alchemist...

Well, right now I am reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman, which is an excellent, slightly twisted fairy tale. I see connections between the boy in The Alchemist and the main character, Tristran, in Stardust, because they are both attempting a quest. The boy (Santiago) attempts to fulfill his Personal Legend, his dream of seeing the Pyramids in The Alchemist. We see him have to survive robbery, discouragement, distraction (by working for the crystal merchant for a year), and a looong trip through the desert. In a similar way Tristran is also trying to fulfill a dream, which is to marry the prettiest girl in his small town whom he believes to be in love with. He embarks on this trip through the land of Faerie in order to acquire a star...anyways, it's a loooong story too. Like the boy, Tristran also experiences obstacles. The star is not so willing to accompany him to his small village, he is also robbed, and he suffers through several attempted murders, as well as being turned into a mouse. Even though the story is a fairy tale, and The Alchemist is a little more realistic in its telling, I still think there are many similarities in the idea that we all must go on journies to search for something important.