Well, I don't think I have enough to guess at "THE LORE" or whatever, but I think I've found at least one connection in the larger jigsaw puzzle:
Alana's rulebook at the start is missing page six, and the shopkeep has a page labelled "Rules" in the background.
Theory: The shopkeep IS Alana P., who graciously replaced what WOULD be a dangerous, counterintuitive page of the rules with her own custom set that helps the player get one over on the devil. She holds the previous page behind her as some personal reminder of the choice she's made for us.
Very kind of her if so, honestly.
As for the game itself... I'll admit, I definitely feel mixed about it, but I don't know how much of that comes down to a lack of familiarity with Yacht, and how much comes from the game itself. Regardless, I feel hope about this game, and wish you the best of luck with it!