I think that's what the Tenavik was saying. When he saw the vision in the crystal, it was one possible future, but by taking the crystal he was committing himself to that future.
They still are crazy rare, I don't imagine most people want to travel to a Klingon monastery and commit themselves to whatever future the crystals promise just to get one.
The timey-wimey thing made me laugh when the tree was growing. "Um, guys? There's trees in the hallway again..."
I wonder if Pike aged at all, even a little bit, at the monastery. Was his hair grayer at the end of the episode? It kind of seemed like it.
Perhaps what happened to Airiam, being taken over, leads to avoidance of that kind of technology when it comes time for Pike to need medical assistance.
That bugged me so much! For all they know, she's already come back and saved Michael again (and again, and again) before they even meet her. She could have sat with Michael on her deathbed as she dies of old age for crying out loud.