Even after reading every hint I could find, I still cannot find the second pedestal symbol from the 2nd island that has just the telescope...help!!

Are you still on the first pillar, wheter you arrived in Todelmer? You can see the symbol through the small telescope at the top of the pillar, but there is something blocking the view. Try playing with the levers that control the tram (you reach those levers by going down the stairs in the building on top of the pillar)

I've already found the first one from the first pillar and I've linked to the second pillar that has just the telescope (and I've set the number dial, too)... but I can't seem to find the second symbol from that second pillar...

Through the small telescope on the second pillar, you can see a symbol and some number codes on the first pillar.

You can also see a large telescope. If this large telescope is aligned correctly, you can look through it using the small telescope.

I've found the number codes on the first pillar looking thru the telscope on the second pillar and entered them in the red room in the right device...I can also see the second pedestal from the first telscope but I still can't seem to get the big telescope out of the way to be able to see it from the second pillar...how exact to do dni numbers need to be in the red room? am I missing something else here?

You should now have entered number codes 13 and 24 in one viewer (for the upper right quadrant) and 6 and 1 in another viewer (for the lower right quadrant). In my experience, it doesn't matter if the sliders are a little bit off.

This should align the large telescope seen from the second pillar so that you can look through its eyepiece.

The viewers are set correctly ... (do the other 2 need to be set to something?) So... I should be able to look through the small telescope on the second pillar THROUGH the gears on the big telescope to see the second pedestal symbol (which is on tbe third pillar)...right? well...I still can't...sigh....

There is one defective viewer in the red room (the one on the right in the back). You only need it to pull up the cables that block the path to the top. You have already done this.

You don't know the numbers for the final viewer yet (the one on the left in the back), that'll come later.

Looking through the small telescope on the second pillar, you should be able to see the eyepiece of the big telescope - it's a small circle above the red pulsing light in the middle of the telescope. When you zoom in, you should be able to see something through that eyepiece.

Can someone just post a screenshot of the second symbol now, I'd be very grateful.

You'll find a picture in Myst 5, End of Ages walkthrough. Scroll down slowly if you don't want to see too much.