Finishing the Alchemist

The ending to the Alchemist made me feel a bit confused. It ends with Santiago reaching the Pyramids at last, and he tries his hardest to find his treasure. However, he gets beaten by a group of men that need money. They spare him when they realize that he has nothing on him. Before the men leave, one man tells Santiago is foolish for pursuing his dream to Egypt. The man then goes on to say that he once had a dream that he should go to Spain, where he would find his own personal treasure. However, The man chose not to pursue this dream as he thought it was foolish. After he leaves, Santiago realizes that his treasure was back home all along. It was always with him. But his personal legend was created when he experienced new things. An example of this would be when Santiago met Fatima, or when he learns from the alchemist.