The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

I don't know if it's just me but this poem has got me a little stumped. I try to see the symbolism with the albatross and the guests being held up on their way to wedding but I cannot find any. So in any case I choose to discuss the significance of the albatross. In this poem the mariner decides to kill the albatross following behind the ship because it caused the fog that followed the ship but in turn lead them out of the icy maze in which they were entrapped. (a strange way to show thanks but in turn maybe the albatross was causing the fog for reason but it was all lost now) After the albatross was killed the fog dissipated and the water dried up and there were death fires burning white, blue, and green outside of the ship. There were creatures from the sea that came out of the water and walked upon it and the winds die down. As a punishment the sailors make the mariner wear the corpse of the albatross around his neck (when they killed the albatross they kept its body?). I try to find the signifigance of the bird but the only thing I found out from research is that sailors actually used to kill and eat albatrosses at sea. This birds were supposed to provide safe passage and good travels which leads me to believe that the fog was not such a bad thing in this poem. Being led into the dark is the only way to see the light sometimes. If the plan of albatross was actually followed maybe the sailors would've survived and the mariner would not be there to stop the guests on their way to the wedding in the first place.

Then there was ship that housed death and the life of death that came aboard the vessel and killed each of the sailors aboard but left the mariner alive. He was unable to die for seven days and nights going without food and water but only the stares of his dead crew which cause him to keep his eyes shut for the entire seven days. Then he finally cut the albatross from his neck and the tables turned for the better when the souls were released from the 200 sailors aboard and he finally found his way back to shore the only down side was that the glitter in his eyes is from the 200 sailors glares. The albatross in the poem is very...special I should say. I don't think that there were any mapped out coincidence in this poem but the good of the albatross shone through even after its death it just wanted to be laid to rest in peace. This noble sea bird is quite commendable.