According to the Englishman, what are the parallels between reading and alchemy in Coelho's The Alchemist?

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the
boy (Santiago) and the Englishman see their quests very
differently.

It seems that the Englishman believes that
reading is necessary in order to understand alchemy, though Santiago finds flaws in this
logic, and even the Englishman doesn't seem to believe what he tells
Santiago.

In
one of the books [Santiago] learned that the most important text in the literature of
alchemy contained only a few lines, and had been inscribed on the surface of an
emerald.

"It's the Emerald Tablet," said the
Englishman...

"Well, then, why do we need all these books?"
the boy asked.

"So that we can understand those few lines,"
the Englishman answered, without appearing really to believe what he had
said.

This really makes no
sense, and Santiago sees little value in this information. Santiago believes that
understanding the world is simply a conscious decision to study man and nature
(including omens) to discover the secrets of the
universe.

The Englishman seems to equate reading the books
with learning the secrets of alchemy, though after reading them, he is really no closer
in being able to turn common metal into gold, which is why he seeks the alchemist.
However, because he believes the answers must come from the interaction of the books and
science, never considering the part the world (omens, man, etc.) plays, he cannot
discover the secret: for the secret is hidden within him, and can
only be discovered by interacting with the world of nature around
him.

The Englishman believes that books can open one's mind
to the mysteries of the universe (even if one cannot understand the books...). He also
believes that alchemy can unlock a world of mysteries (especially regarding the
transfiguration of metal to gold) with the proper understanding. Whereas these two
things parallel each other in the Englishman's mind, they are not mutually exclusive of
each other: both are necessary to achieve success: and none of it is working for the
Englishman.

Santiago, once again, cannot make the logical
connection between book and alchemy, for it is not the written
language where he believes true knowledge lies, but in learning the Universal
Language, or the language of the world.