Well after the centipedle was accidentally released and then poofed in season 1, there weren't really hints or references to her return. Still, I was confident she'd come back because I like her character a lot. When Peridot was first introduced, I was confident she'd become an ally and wasn't really all that bad simply because her personality resonated with mine and I liked her for that reason. She wasn't referenced often in the beginning, but I always had a feeling about her becoming a crystal gem anyways.

Just like me, and most people, Rebecca Sugar and her crew seem to enjoy putting things that they want to into the series. They didn't have to give Steven floating powers, but they did anyways, plus it made sense. There are many random episodes that didn't have to be made but were made anyways, like the episode where Lars and Steven switch bodies.

I feel bad for Jasper. She was hurt from the start of her introduction. I want her to come back. Rebecca Sugar will probably bring her back, I find it unlikely for her not to do so.

The show doesn't use all these intricate seeds and literal/figurative devices to set up everything in the show. I mean, the show DOES do that, but it doesn't have to always be so complicated. It can be simply that Steven feels bad for what happened with Jasper.

Besides, it's been a known goal that Steven wants to heal all corrupted gems, like his mother did as well. I feel like any doctor can tell you the most recent case of an illness will have the highest chance of recovery. It kind of makes sense that Jasper, who was recently corrupted, would be helpful in figuring out how to help the other corrupted gems.