The Old Man and the Sea: Death?

At the end of the novel The Old Man and the Sea, the main character Santiago possibly dies, but Hemingway makes it unclear. I believe that it would make more sense for Santiago to die because his main goal in life is essentially accomplished by battling the marlin, and I think it is simply his time to go. However, it says in the story that he stumbles back to his shack after catching the marlin and getting back to shore and “passes out” in his newspaper bed. This would be all fine and dandy to me, but it also says that he dreamt peacefully of the lions on the beach, which he previously dreamt of twice before, and he loved them so dearly. That image makes his “passing out” seems like he went to Heaven and died. I do like Santiago so I hope he did not die in the end, but it is simply logical for him to pass away in this spot of the story. Most sources say that Hemingway means the last scene in a literal way; therefore, they say he does not actually die. As I have suggested previously, the lions on the beach are probably a symbol for Santiago’s youth and his old age and death coming together. This symbol suggests even more heavily that Santiago indeed dies in the end. His thoughts of the lions on the beach provoke his death and him going to a better place ultimately. I have become a bit repetitive in my writing, but it is simply to make a strong point. I do believe that Santiago dies, or for that matter should die, in the end of the novel. There is just too much evidence supporting my thoughts. It is completely understandable for him to die in my mind. He just finished fighting a gigantic fish for three days. That can really take a toll on somebody. This is even more evidence supporting Santiago’s death.