I agree what the others have said.
I am new to crystals and would add, sometimes you find crystals in the most unexpected places: craft stores, craft sales/shows and in nature. My favorite is to find them in nature.
I did buy a book. It was a big box store book for $5 and it was almost worth the $5... There are wonderful on-line resources.
Most of the time I let my intuition guide me. However, on rare occasion when I am looking for a specific purpose, I will go to a shop. Sometimes a fancy shop to look around or other times a “rock shop” which is more common where I am from.