The focus of the story is on the old man because he is the vendor of the mysterious potions and has had so much more worldly experience than his customer. We realize that he is amused by Austen because he has seen hundreds of others just like him--young men who are madly in love and think it will last forever. We can imagine everything the old shopkeeper is thinking without having to be inside his point of view. If we were inside his point of view, all we would see would be a nervous young customer. If we were inside Austen's point of view, all we would see would be this strange shop and the strange little old shopkeeper. Without being confined to either character's point of view, it is as if we are spectators at a stage play and are watching a drama being acted out.