This helpful dialogue about the Dreamstone's origin helps us to understand:
DIANA: Dechalafrea Ero.
STEVE: What’s that?
DIANA: A very bad God. The God of Lies, Dolos, Mendacius, Duke of Deception. He’s been called by many names. But if he’s the one who empowered that stone, there has to be a trick.
BARBARA: What do lies have to do with granting wishes? It seems more like a Dreamstone to me.
STEVE: Wishes with a trick. The Monkey’s Paw. Beware what you wish for. It grants your wish, but takes your most valued possession.
The stone clearly possesses a kind of independent intelligence. So given a wish with an ambiguous meaning, the stone has scope to interpret the wish along its usual principles of causing chaos, regret, and taking the most valued possession from the wisher.
This is seen even in the case of young Alistair's unselfish wish for his father's greatness. Max Lord does indeed grow in power but at the cost of becoming even more inaccessible to Alistair.
The stone always has the last laugh!