What a great story! I finished this book in 24 hours. Despite there not being any chapters, it's still a quick read, and I found the story very captivating. 
 I consider myself a religious and spiritual person. I've always been in touch with my "inner self," and last year I began reading the Bible to further strengthen my relationship with God and my confidence in His Word. With that said, I feel like a reader needs to be in touch with a higher being to appreciate this story, the thoughts it expresses, and the morals that are suggested. Islam, as well as other world religions, are littered throughout The Alchemist, so if, on a fundamental level, you believe the existence of God is nonsense, then you probably won't connect with the story. On the other hand, if you know Truth, you'll probably quite enjoy the spirituality described throughout. 
 In many ways, the complexities of "Personal Legends," the "Language of the World," and the "Soul of the World" reminded me a lot of the drama series Lost. I loved that show, and after it ended I got extremely caught up in all the theories and hidden messages and deeper meanings of it. The Alchemist incited those same kind of feelings - those desires of wanting to know more and to decode more than was given to me. 
 If you can read a book, and after you're finished with it and placed it back on the shelf, if you still think about it and think about its message and think of the different ways its truths can apply to your real life, then I think you've found a pretty good book. The Alchemist did that for me. I feel a little more in touch with my inner self, with the world, and most importantly, with my Creator having read this story.