Again and Again- Pages 61 and on

Beginning during Santiago's hookah session with the Crystal Merchant, the phrase Maktub is introduced, meaning "It is written" in Arabic. At this time, the phrase does not have much meaning, but later when Santiago is asking for the merchant's blessing, the merchant says the phrase before he "gave the boy his blessing." Later on, during the caravan trip through the Sahara, Santiago recalls the teaching of the Crystal Merchant as he gazes through the desert in search of meaning. Santiago thinks to himself that his intuition is simply his ability to become one with the world and the past, and then repeats the phrase Maktub. As the phrase continues to be used throughout the novel, Maktub begins to lose its true meaning as "It is written" and begins to be used as a peace word, where saying the Arabic word gives Santiago a divine peace.

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