What might be the symbolism in that Santiago ends up working in a crystal shop in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist?

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, the
crystal shop may be symbolic of where Santiago finds himself in the pursuit of his
Personal Legend. In one interpretation, we might see that the crystal acts like a
window, allowing Santiago to see what might lie ahead of him. It is here that he learns
from the crystal merchant what can happen when one does not "seize the time." The
merchant also had a dream, his own Personal Legend to travel to Mecca. However, he puts
it off, builds a business (which he cannot leave) and by the time he
can afford to go, he is too old. This disappointment can be
Santiago's if he loses faith, so the crystal could be showing him
what life might look like for him. However, it would be important also to remember that
when looking through crystal, the image on the other side is distorted, so this would
suggest that Santiago would have to decide with his heart, and not by what he sees…or
hears, for the crystal merchant does not encourage the boy in his
quest.

The crystal shop might also be symbolic of "all that
glitters is not gold." Crystal has long represented "wealth" because it was so hard to
make and only the very rich could afford it. From a distance, the crystal shop stands
out, and the light that reflects off of the clean and sparkling crystal draws passersby
to shop, and later to drink tea. The merchant says to
Santiago:

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Business has really improved…I'm doing much
better, and soon you'll be able to return to your sheep. Why ask more out of
life?

The boy responds that
he must follow the omens. The merchant understands this concept, but does not understand
Santiago's desire to visit the Pyramids. He says:

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I don't know anyone around here who would want to
cross the desert just to see the Pyramids…They're just a pile of stones. You could build
one in your backyard.

In some
respects, the crystal merchant is telling Santiago that "this is as good as it gets." He
tries to dissuade the boy from pursuing his dream. If Santiago allowed himself to be
taken in by the merchant' perceptions (a theme in the book), along
with the lure of the commission (a good one as the merchant had not expected
Santiago to be successful), he would have stopped his journey there. However, the
attraction of selling crystal has been missing since the boy's first day on the
job…

…it
wasn't exactly the kind of job that could make him
happy.

And ultimately,
Santiago knows himself well: he wants to be on the move. He still
believes in his Personal Legend, even though he does, at times, have his doubts.
However, when the time comes to make his decision to move on or return home, he thanks
the crystal merchant, asks for his blessing, and—receiving it—moves forward toward
realizing his dream.