I have never found gematria to be anything other than a solution in search of an equation. In that sense, it is a math trick that allows you to arbitrarily associate anything you so desire.
Things like this were tools used by oracles and mystics of old to give the faithless some rationale for having faith in an idea. "I used ancient math formulas to divine your future." Rather than "The spirits foretell…"
Not all of it was crockery - people sometimes need to be handed something to focus on or fidget with, mentally, while they work through hard times.
But of course, there are types who like to profit at any expense of another and argue they are favored under the divine to do so…. So… We can't have nice things.