I think that area where the story was supposed to have happened is known for having salt pillars, so maybe it was like a warning, "look at all those that got punished"

No, Sodom & Gomorrah were where the Dead Sea is. Very very salty & unique sea. So wife to pillar of salt follows the theme of violent, quick, salty death.

As HAL 9 TRILLION had numerous examples, there are more like John the Baptist's father & Abraham's wife Sarah, etc etc etc. All are related by a general rule: do not question the religion/authority figures of the religion, do not talk back or doubt the religious authority, do as you are told & nothing more, nothing less. The Bible calls for blind, unquestioning obedience in all things. I guess it could also be called 'faith'.

In the story, Lot’s wife had gone around to neighbors asking to borrow salt, which alerted them to the strangers’ presence. Hence the irony of the punishment. Still, cruel and bizarre and more befitting a medieval fairytale than… well, a bronze-age one.

Maybe Yahweh was hungry and wanted some salt to add to his dinner?

No, the angels told them. It's still stupid. God kills a woman for looking back, he kills a kid for picking up sticks on the sabbath, he kills a guy who tries to keep the ark of the covenant from tipping over. He calls up a bear to maul 42 children because they called one of his prophets baldy.

The Biblical God's just complete bullshit, honestly.

That makes sense. The entire religion is basically just a ripoff of Zoroastrianism.