could someone clarify this text about the へparticle

Question

In Particles used with verbs, Japanese grammar guide by Tae Kim:

Note that we cannot use the 「へ」 particle with verbs that have no physical direction. For example, the following is incorrect. • 医者へなる。 (Grammatically incorrect version of 「医者になる」.) This does not mean to say that 「へ」 cannot set out towards an abstract concept. In fact, because of the fuzzy directional meaning of this particle, the 「へ」 particle can also be used to talk about setting out towards certain future goals or expectations. • 勝ちへ向かう。 Go towards victory.

how is the first sentence going against what the writer says in the second part? isnt it setting out a future goal? thanks for the help in advance

Answer 1

This explanation says that you can use へ to describe both physical or mental goals/directions. In English へ roughly corresponds to towards or in the direction of ～.

• 日本へ行く to go to/toward Japan (physical destination)
• 西へ行く to go towards west (physical direction)
• 勝利へ向かう to aim towards victory (abstract goal)
• 解決へ近づく to come close to resolution (abstract goal)

So in these examples, you are "moving", either physically or mentally.

On the other hand, in 医者になる ("to become a doctor"), there is no goal or direction, either physically or mentally. なる refers to an instant change of state, as in 信号が赤になる ("the traffic light turns to red"). Nothing is moving. Certainly you cannot translate 医者になる using "towards a doctor".

Anyway, に and へ are often interchangeable.