Squire Tele Setup, Beginner Advice

I recently bought a refurbished Squire Affinity Tele with a one year warranty, I have some questions about the pickups. I’ve also followed the following guide to setup (https://travelingguitarist.com/how-to-set-up-a-squier-telecaster-step-by-step/). The pickup towards the tuning pegs seems to be noticeably more quiet than the middle selection or the far pickup. Is this normal behavior?

Additionally, what are some beginner recommendations or tips? I have a crush mini amp and it works great for my needs so far. Should I look into getting some pedals?

I am a complete beginner and using Rocksmith a bit, but mostly using the Guitar for Dummies complete book. Starting with basic chord progression and strumming techniques and then start with blues music as I’ve heard it’s a good place to start.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you.