Question

In Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer it is told: An incident involving Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkanos, who was 22 years old and had not studied Torah.
And his father Horkanos was very wealthy, and he had fields and vineyards, and he divided his fields among all his sons for them to plow and sow, each one in his own portion. And Rabbi Eliezer's portion turned out to be a field full of rocks. One day Horkanos came to inspect his fields and found his son Eliezer sitting and crying. 
He said to him: My son, why are you crying? Are you upset because your field is full of rocks?
I'll give you another field whose soil is softer and easier to plow. So he gave him another field, better than the first.
 
Horkanos came again another time and found him crying. He said to him: Now why are you crying?
He said to him: Because my soul longs to study Torah. His father said to him: But you're already 22 years old—how can you start learning Torah now? Rather, take a wife, have children, bring them to school, and they will study Torah.
Then he gave him another field, in the mountains.
He came to plow it, and his cow fell and broke its leg. He said, "It's for my good that my cow's leg broke." Elijah the Prophet appeared to him and found him crying. Elijah said to him: Why are you crying? He said: Because I want to study Torah. Elijah said to him: If you truly want to study Torah, go up to Jerusalem to Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and study Torah with him. Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkanos immediately fled to Jerusalem.
 
Now I'm trying to understand Horkanos's mindset.
A successful wealthy man offered his son a sensible resource-management plan: make money, and with the money get married, have children, and invest in them so that they study. They'll probably, all in all, reach much finer achievements than someone who only starts at age 22… and then he gives him an estate in the mountains.
 
Why in the mountains?

1. To punish the lazy one. On the plain and in the valley the soil is usually fertile; in the mountains it's harder, and in fact that's where the leg broke… Stop daydreaming and start investing effort. The improved offer also didn't get Eliezer to start working… [in the spirit of: "Let the work be heavy upon the men, and let them not pay attention to false words"]
2. His soul longed for it… but that's not rational… Work in the mountains, see the open space, see from above what the future looks like [plots worked by the diligent, plots neglected by lazy dreamers…] Think logically about the future, and the future is in the children.
3. He thought his son was depressed; in the mountains there is a nice view and better air, a remedy for shaking off mild depression…

Which interpretation of Horkanos's actions does the Rabbi prefer?