Purpose of an altar and doing it correctly

I've been thinking of making a small, plain altar in my home, however I have some queries.

Firstly is it correct that the purpose of an altar is to give you a reminder and object of focus? Are there other reasons to construct an altar?

How can I be on guard against selfish reasons for creating things like this? I don't want to create some ornament or something that I think people will take note of. I want to do this with 'pure' intentions.

Is it better to be attached to something which is associated with Buddhism than attached to something else? Is it a 'lesser harm'?

I have read some people use a written mantra in place of a statue of the Buddha, is this true? If so does anyone have a good suggestion for a mantra to use?

Thanks!

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