The theory of Coffee and the Apple of Eden.

So about the blue cup of coffee. I think it is symbolically the opposite of the Apple of Eden. Adam and Eve were innocent, having tasted the apple, they knew the earthly and had to go to Earth. Aziraphale, on the contrary, has lived on Earth for a long time and Metatron gives him (tempts) a "heavenly" drink. Some sources indicate that ambrosia (the drink of paradise or the drink of the gods) was nine times sweeter than honey. Therefore, Metatron deceives Aziraphale by claiming that there is a huge amount of almond syrup in the drink, he means that he gives Aziraphale ambrosia. At the same time, like an apple, this drink carries a particle of deception on the part of the one who gives it; it is given with bad intentions.

If we develop this idea further, then in this situation Aziraphale symbolically represents Eve, Metatron is the tempter snake, Crowley is Adam, and the bookshop is paradise. But this time Adam (Crowley) did not accept the temptation from his Eve. And Eve leaves their paradise alone.

In general, my theory is that a cup of coffee is an apple of Eden, but with the opposite meaning. The apple is sin, disobedience, knowledge of good and evil. And coffee in this case is obedience, giving up free will and following God's plan without thinking about whether it's good or bad.

"Ah well, always did want to go his own way. Always asking damn fool questions, too."

Okay, I'm trying to get my thoughts together here, but let me see if I can verbalize why this line bothers me so much.

This is a completely bonkers meta post

What if the people who live and work on Whickber Street are the souls of those that Aziraphale and Crowley have met in their past? Nina and Maggie as Wee Morag and Elspeth? Mutt by the magician who died in 1941 because he was eaten by zombies. Did he leave someone behind?

Maggie: And you're quite right. It's not your job to sort out my doomed love life.

Except Aziraphale wants to make it happen because his actions in 1827 got Wee Morag killed. Maggie has a shop attached to Aziraphale's shop (he's the one who suggested Elspeth open a bookshop, but he owns a bookshop and needs someone to keep track of his records).

Nina owns a coffee shop. It is always busy and it's blue and green, just like the planet. Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death. Nina is in a terrible relationship though, with this mysterious Lindsey, finally manages to break free, and then all Hell breaks loose.

Maggie notices Nina. She falls in love with Nina. She finally finds the courage to introduce herself to Nina, gets alone time with Nina, only to find out Nina's in a relationship with an asshole.

What if they have the souls of Elspeth and Wee Morag? What if Maggie is Elspeth and this Ball he is throwing for Nina and Maggie is him trying to reunite the souls of Wee Morag and Elspeth? And also using that as an excuse to dance with Crowley.

What if Aziraphale and Crowley turned Whickber Street into a home for lost souls looking for a place to be happy?

It would make sense that Jim is drawn there because he is now a lost soul.

But Crowley lives on the outskirts because he's trying to guard the life he and Aziraphale carved out together. He isn't going to move into the bookshop because he is always on the lookout while Aziraphale handles things on Whickber Street. I think Aziraphale already believes that Crowley lives at the bookshop though because he gets plenty of use out of it too. He just doesn't sleep there. Or else he's telling Crowley that the bookshop is his home too and he would love for him to move in.

So at the end, Crowley has realized he's ready to live with Aziraphale, but Aziraphale is now the one who is moving out and watching the perimeter. The fight in the bookshop made him realize the danger was much worse than he initially thought. Demons didn't just invade the bookshop, they invaded the safe space that Aziraphale and Crowley had carved out for themselves and the shopkeepers of Whickber Street.

Aziraphale changed the shopkeepers and their families into clothes fit for a ball and had them dancing together while ensuring their protection from the outside. Maggie and Nina were the ones who stepped up to help him so he wouldn't have to fight alone. Nina stays because Maggie stays. Maggie stays because she cares about Aziraphale, and Aziraphale has been nothing but kind to her. They help him defend the formerly Naked Man Friend, Jim.

Maybe Whickber Street is the home of second chances.

what an interesting thought, this would make a lovely fic!