There's a reason the title of the book was Pawn of Prophecy. the pawns never know what the chess player is doing. this first book built up character development. We now know who Garion, Durnik, Polgara, Belgarath, Barak Silk, and even Asharak the Murgo are. Yes you are seeing the majority of the story through a "kid's" eyes. Obviously you have gotten used to the D & D lifestyle. mages need to say their spells, and cast offensive spells across the board. basically your own little personal fourth of july celebration in a robe. that isn't Eddings. if you want that kind of stuff pick up TSR books, or Rosenberg's guardians of the flames. these books were written for the young at heart. no ultra complex plot devices, the story goes from point M through to point Z, a-L were taken care of before the book was written. Personally I found the diversity of character much more enjoyable than the simple, LoTR style story, band gets together to go take care of business, and here's the trouble they got in along the way. I note you did not mention the issues that occurred at Val Alorn with the boar, the bear, and the Earl of Jarvik. these were items that were meant to be the Climax of the book, and lead up to the second installment.
