The other answers in this thread more or less explain the significance of the character Melchisedek in the "The Alchemist" but you may still be wondering why Paulo Coelho included this character in the story. It is because of the alchemy theme. Melchisedek is a significant figure in the Kabalistic tradition (which alchemy finds its roots in). According to Rabbinical tradition he is either the same person as Shem, the son of Noah and a high priest, or a contemporary. Another, alternative teaching is that he is a manifestation of divinity itself, in the form of a man. In the alchemical tradition he is a man in his highest form; manifesting divinity. There are references to him in the Midrash, Zohar, and Tanakh (traditional Jewish books of Kabalistic value), but you might be more familiar with references in the Bible: Genesis 14:18 and Hebrews 7:1. Melchisedek, as a high priest, blesses Abraham upon his victorious return from battle against the four kings who had beseiged the cities of Sodom and Gamorrah and who had taken Abraham's nephew Lot prisoner. He brings bread and wine (the products of the earth) to Abraham and blesses him in the name of "God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth" (the blessing is the product of heaven and completes the formula). In return, Abraham gives a tenth of the spoils of battle. This is the reason Coelho's character requires a tenth of the boys possessions and the fortune teller makes the boy promise a tenth of the treasure he seeks. Coelho has woven a tale firmly rooted in the study of alchemy but has brought this dead system to life with his assertion that the universe conspires to help those who pursue their personal legend.
El Corazon del Ceilo
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