For its environmentally friendly design, Crystals received LEED Gold Core & Shell certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the largest retail district in the world to achieve such a feat.

The mall is part of the CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip, and was originally owned by MGM Resorts International and Dubai World.

[7][15] The mall structure features complex steel framework which includes 19 separate roofs, uniquely shaped and overlapping in some cases.

[18] Architecture critic James S. Russell, writing for Bloomberg News, called Crystals "a fun antidote to the smothering fairy-tale pomp that has become the Las Vegas norm".

[19] Another architectural critic, Paul Goldberger, wrote in The New Yorker that Libeskind's jagged shapes "inject the normally dreary precinct of a shopping mall with a shot of adrenaline".

[20] In 2013, USA Today named it among the most "amazing luxury malls" in the U.S.[21] Like other buildings at CityCenter, Crystals was designed to be environmentally friendly, with features including skylights, reclaimed wood, and efficient water fixtures.

In October 2009, it was awarded LEED Gold Core & Shell certification from the U.S. Green Building Council,[4][22] making it the largest retail district in the world to achieve such a feat.

[6][25][26] Notable retailers at the time of opening included Dior, Hermès, Prada, Tiffany & Co.,[4][27] Assouline Publishing, and De Grisogono.

[4] Crystals includes the largest Louis Vuitton store in North America, with a three-story facility measuring 14,000 sq ft (1,300 m2).

[4][25][29] Assouline and De Grisogono closed in 2013, and several new retailers opened later that year, including Loro Piana, Richard Mille, Rimowa, and Valentino.

[5][25] Halo consists of clear cylinders filled with water, which is manipulated by high-speed motors to produce vortices accompanied by colored lighting.

[39] Brasserie failed to meet expectations and was replaced by a new Italian restaurant from Puck called Cucina, opened in June 2010.

[45] Chef Todd English and actress Eva Longoria partnered to create a space which operated as a restaurant and nightclub, known respectively as Beso and Eve.