The crystals are just from aging it for longer, aren't they? Of course a 36 month Comté vs. 4 month Gruye won't have that many similarities compared to a 12 month Comté vs. 12 month Gruyere.
You specify the range of age you want when you buy comté.
For Gruyère, I never saw that, but it might be because I grew up a few hours from where it’s made.
To clarify : real gruyère is a great cheese. But comte is one of my favorite.
Man I miss cheese.