When Santiago and the alchemist are taken prisoner by a hostile tribe, the alchemist barters for their release and uses as leverage the opportunity to see Santiago turn himself into the wind. Santiago then listens to his heart, which allows him to speak to the desert, the wind, and the sun, as he tries to learn how to transform himself. Santiago speaks to the sun, and it speaks to him about the creation of everything. The sun tells him to pray to “the hand that wrote all” in order to achieve his transformation.