a word similar to resemble

I’m looking for a word because I haven’t found it in any dictionary. Its meaning is similar to that of “to resemble” but a bit different. For e.g. if there is rock which seems to be similar to a man, then I would say it resembles a man/a human figure, because it is so by accident. The meaning of the word I looking for is “intentionally resembles.” It is somewhere between “to represent” and “to symbolize.” For e.g. an ordinary statue resembles somebody or something, if I’m not mistaken. But if there is a stone painted red and another stone painted white, I can say the first stone symbolises the sun, the other the moon (If that was the intention of some stone-age people.) But if we think about an Olympic opening ceremony, I would use that unknown word in the following cases: The cloths/dress of the dancers … fire/the sea. (Because they are flame-like or wave-like.) And: their dance ... the stormy sea. (They wave with their dance.) Or: This scene … the age of discoveries. (They carry a ship on their shoulders.) I.e. there is something palpable from sea or fire, or some age, or flight of birds, etc. I think about the word “to conjure,” I don’t know if it fits to these situations.