Reddit mentions of Love Is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals: The Reference Book Describing the Metaphysical Properties of the Mineral Kingdom

This is, by far, the most comprehensive book I have ever found on gemstones, minerals and their properties. It shows you the different astrological properties of each stone and has tons of other useful information. It has a great section on quartz crystals and their different uses. Melody has tons of other books too, and she has a good book on crystal grids as well. I highly recommend this book!

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Earth-Kaleidoscope-Describing-Metaphysical/dp/0962819034/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491626831&sr=8-1&keywords=love+is+in+the+earth

My favorite herb book is The Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl. Cunningham's is really good, too, but Beyerl goes into a lot more detail about the herbal properties and the lore behind them.

For crystals, this is the book I recommend with five stars. In addition to fabulous descriptions of crystal properties, the sheer number of crystals and stones she talks about is unparalleled in any book I've yet to see. The only downside is that it doesn't have any photos but if you have access to google that isn't too much of a set back.

Good luck with your studies!

I get advice for my crystals out of https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0962819034/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sorry no one has responded yet. - I don't know anything about pairing crystals together. I do what 'feels' good. Thought if I responded someone else would have better input and would respond. Good luck. Used respond a lot in this post...

There is a fantastic book called Love is in the Earth that you should look into. Its got elemental references to each stone in it, and it also goes into great depth as to what each stone does. Its also got a fabulous index, so if your altar is for a specific purpose, you can look up rocks and gems that will be attuned to that purpose and are also elementally balanced.

Love Is In the Earth