Two Drops Of Oil

I did not understand the story. What did the young learn at the end of the day juggling between two useless acts: Watching tapestry and gardens and being careful, if not obsessed, with a useless activity of not spilling two drops of oil? Isn't this kind of multi-tasking the source of our problems? When I eat, I know I am eating; when I walk, I know I am walking, etc., is the way things should be done and attended to. There is no need to think or watch something else.
The young man will spend his life balancing between two contradicting demands without fully succeeding in either and realizing the secret of happiness.

I agree. For me, the last remark by the Sage makes no sense; the burden it places on the young man is cruel. He has been told that he has failed both challenges. Not so sure that -- if the story is accurately quoted here -- Paulo Coelho is as fine a teacher as his reputation claims. Disappointing.