I am no expert puzzle game crafter so I'm in no position to give specific advice. However, there is a whole field of study dedicated to making symbols comprehensible through generations; its called semiotics. i imagine the answer lies therein
i guess for example, the cauldron immediately signals its a crafting game. which is perfect - but then how to devise recipes and come up with a right-wrong system to eventually get a recipe without just giving up the sauce. i really have no idea though, I'll revisit though if/when I get the game working properly