What does it mean? Probably nothing, just cool I guess.

However, I believe that Richard Alpert is a time traveller or inter-dimensional traveller. I believe when Ben sent him to get "The Man From Tallahassee", he left the island, to a time and place where he could "recruit" him, or promise him escape from his troubled past to a place where his talents were needed, funny how those same situations existed when Juliet was recruited too.