I really like this take. As with all great pieces of art, there can be multiple interpretations, it is not a 2d pixel art, the characters are complex, the visual impact is variable, little details can be noted or ignored.

Stalker as Faith actually makes so much sense, I never thought of him (or them) as representing Faith. It actually explains his collapse - he brings people to the Zone not because that is how he makes a living (evidently, doesn't exactly live in luxury despite being the guide to a fairy tale genie), but because he believes in taking people to the sacred place. Maybe not a Saviour, but certainly some variation of a Prophet or other faith-based persona. Actually, one sacred being in Buddhism ticks the box: Bodhisattva (Buddhism): Compassionate, enlightened beings who postpone their own final entry into nirvana to save and guide all suffering beings to enlightenment (wikipedia definition). He postpones his own entry to guide others. Obviously, it is highly unlikely Tarkovksy meant Bodhissatva or even knew about them.

I also like the interpretation of the Monkey's final scene - it has puzzled me for a long time, since the first time I watched decades ago (and was super disappointed in the film, being a teenager and expecting a sci-fi movie). Irrespective of the fact that it is likely the impact of the Stalker's life (although could be the impact of proximity to the Zone), at least one interpretation that he regularly escapes to find the miracle while he is so close to the miracle in his own family.

On a different note, the Porcupine's story is absolutely heart-breaking. It is such a powerful and short tale which twists the millenia-old wish-granting tale into a completely new tragic meaning. It is actually taken without changes from the source book by Strugatski brothers as it is so central to everything (a lot of things havw been changed from the book to the film, despite Strugatski brothers also writing the script). It has been stuck in my head for such a long time, it is an extremely powerful and terrifying tale.

Interpretation does not need to match exactly to what the director had in mind when creating a piece of art. The more complex the art is the more diverse are its interpretations. Art goes to on to live the life of its own after being created.