1. How does Santiago respond to the chieftain's question as to why the desert would speak

to him, a newcomer?

Santiago replied that since he was new, he is able to see the things unobserved by them, the things they are accustomed to or believe to be common for them.

Explanation:

Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, a shepherd who dreamed of a prophecy about him discovering a great treasure of wealth at the Egyptian pyramids. The story follows him in his journey to the deserts and his various encounters with different men along the way and his final realization that the ultimate treasure has always been in Spain where he first got his dream.

In part 2 of the text, Santiago had gone back to warn the village chieftains about his vision that he saw of the hawks, "watching their flight and had suddenly felt himself to have plunged to the Soul of the World." But when he tried to warn the tribal chieftains, he was as to why they should believe what he said and why the desert would "reveal such things to a stranger" who was new to the area. At this, Santiago replied, "Because my eyes are not yet accustomed to the desert [ ... ] I can see things that eyes habituated to the desert might not see." Then the chieftains believed his warning, which was a relief for him.