The Alchemist persuades Santiago to sell his camel and buy a horse. The next night he takes Santiago into the desert and gives him a second test. What is the task and what skills are being tested in this task?

The second test Alchemist gives to Santiago is finding a sign of life in the desert.

Explanation:

The Alchemist is novel by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho published in 1988. It is the story of an Andalusian shepherd boy Santiago's following of his personal legend in search of treasure, from Andalusia (in Spain) to Pyramids of Egypt through Sahara desert).

After the pair leaves the oasis and the tribe, Alchemist asks Santiago to lead him where there is life in the desert. Santiago is initially confused, but when Alchemist gives him a vague idea that life attracts life, Santiago understands it. He lets his horse run free, and where the horse stops, he knows that here is some life. They find a hole and a cobra in it.

The Alchemist wanted to test Santiago's skills to understand and use the Language of the World. This task demanded to communicate with the world not directly but indirectly by his understanding of the natural things around him. Just as Santiago did not need to communicate directly with cobra to find it, but he had to interact with his horse and desert to find a sign of life, in the same way, he would need to interact with other things of the natural world to find his personal legend and treasure.