Hmm, that might be a little better, since my tag drive is making completing things difficult lately.

Can we say that he earned it? Like he went to the mountain to find a dragon, saw one sleeping and sat around waiting for it to wake up. Because he didn't just sneak stuff or attack it while its guard was down, he earned enough respect for the dragon to consider his request. He was then able to answer a number of riddles correctly, which earned him a small emerald for his efforts that he then gave to the shop?