I’ve noticed that many Superman Comic books stories over the past 20 year reference the FOS “crystal palace” origin with self assembling data crystals outlined in the movies vs the more standard masonry or stone construction seen in earlier comic stories. Was the movie the origin of this crystal palace concept of did it appear anywhere in the comics before appearing in the movie?
The 1978 Superman movie is the origin of this, AFAIK. Before that (and for no small time after), the Fortress of Solitude was almost invariably described has having been hewn from solid (sometimes “living”) rock by Superman himeself. It was never, to my knowledge, described as built from masonry or stone.
It was always rock before the 1978 movie. The crystal (probably meant to be ice) just looked cooler on screen.
Actually, the coolest part of the Fortress of the giant key, which he left out in plain sight.
Didn’t it serve as a marker for aviation? A giant arrow pointing to somewhere or other?
Yeah, it used to. Grant Morrison did some change in the not in continuity All Star Superman where he got rid of the giant key as being ‘gaudy’ or something. He switched to a regular key made of neutronium that only he could pick up.
The All Star Superman arc was pretty fabulous. Never seen Lois Lane looking more luscious and the stories and art were magnificent. I loved the Lex Luthor of that series.
I never understood the giant key. With a keyhole that big, who needs to open the door? 
They actually explained that there was an electric eye that alerted Superman if anyone tried to crawl in.
But the actual purpose of the giant golden key was to show Superman looking cool as he used it. Nothing about it really made much sense, other than only Superman could lift it.
The movie also introduced the meme of Krypton as barren and sterile, the end result of a hyper-advanced technocracy. The post Crisis reboot version of Krypton was strongly influenced by this IMHO.
I think Byrne really picked up that meme and ran with it when he was re-imaging the Superman mythos, post-Crisis. Interestingly, though, the current New Krypton storyline has back-integrated earlier interpretations of Krypton. So now it is both the sterile posthuman civilization and the 50s sci-fi with headbands civilization.