I feel like the implicit claim in your argument is that "if we end up considering fractals, crystals and rivers intelligent, that's bad." I don't see why we should accept this claim necessarily. What's wrong with biting that bullet? Does the inverse -- believing that there's a particular "type" of complexity that's special, and uniquely human/animal focused, that isn't present in any other part of the universe -- really hold any important value, or is it just born of a sort of emotional attachment to anthropocentrism? I'm inclined to believe the latter.