Hmmm...I don't really put too much stock in dream symbols, but I'll try and help you. It takes quite a high level of lucidity to ask questions and fully get/remember an answer. How you perceive a symbol in waking life is likely to have a little input into what it means in a dream, because it's the same brain that processes information, but in dreams it is more random. To get more help here, what did the snake mean and how did you end up finding that conclusion?