The Alchemist (25th Anniversary Edition) by Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist is Paulo Coelho's modern classic, first published in 1988 and read by tens of millions of people since. This is the 25th anniversary edition, with a foreword by Coelho.

It follows Santiago, a young shepherd in Andalusia who keeps dreaming of treasure buried near the Egyptian pyramids. He sells his flock and sets off, and along the way meets a king, a crystal merchant and an alchemist, learning to read the signs of the world and to follow what Coelho calls his Personal Legend. Where the treasure turns out to be is the whole point.

A short, warm fable about following your dreams, for readers who somehow have not got to it yet. Note this edition has deckle (rough-cut) edges, a deliberate design feature rather than a fault.