As we set on foot, the "Introduction" attempts to school the reader on the "four obstacles" by which some human beings are kept from manifesting their dreams. Foremost, we must be cognizant of the fact; the book and the peripheries within are translated from another language. As a result, we might be looking through a certain layer of conception—the translator's, indeed—at The Alchemist. Suffice it to say; the Introduction props one's zeal for the "calling" against the possible shortcomings in life. I can offer a philosophical argument opposing the sort of self-fulfilling prophecy that the author draws. However, I am going to allow The Alchemist to be our main focus, at this time.