Evidence of the maze from The Maze Runner being a symbol?

The maze can be seen as symbolic in two ways.... one, it is a symbol of control, a constantly changing symbol of the way that WICKED controls the Gladers. Over time, however, the maze also comes to be seen as a symbol of hope and escape.

“Looks like a maze,” Thomas whispered, almost laughing to himself. As if things couldn’t have gotten any stranger. They’d wiped his memory and put him inside a gigantic maze. It was all so crazy it really
did seem funny.

“Never been able to catch one.” Minho finished up his meal and put his lunch box away. “And we don’t know what that word means—probably just something to scare us. But they have to be spies. For them.
Only thing we can reckon.”