I think sometimes people that have minimal knowledge of any area misuse words all the time.

Perhaps the employee used pastel as an adjective? As in this is a nice pastel (colored) snake.

I guess I just am not sure why you posted a pic asking what kind of snake it was vs introducing your new pastel (if you were sold a pastel and believed that is what you had bought)? I hate to err on the side of any petstore, but just seems that the tone of the thread changed pretty quickly to you being ripped off, vs. you simply overpaying for something on the assumption it was something else.

Bruce