Found: YA?? Fantasy-ish, eastern dragon??

Ok, so I keep going back to a book I read in 4th or 5th grade, around 13 years ago… didn’t realize it was that long. It was in our elementary school library and may have been marked anywhere from 6th grade to college reading level.
I vividly remember that it’s about a girl or a woman (I don’t know her age) that ends up helping a dragon type creature take a gem (I’m thinking a pearl), somewhere. At one point they are crossing a salt basin and the dragon shrinks herself to a smaller size when she is blinded by the sunlight off the salt crystals.
I can’t remember the title or author. I think it was in library binding and pretty thick. If I remember right the feel was an almost Asian setting.
I know this is super vague, I’m just hoping for a lead. Google is failing me.

Ok, don’t know how to delete this. I found the book after posting this.
I believe it’s Dragon of the Lost Sea by Laurence Yep.
Sorry

>2 alexs.goats: No need to delete. Thanks for letting us know you found it.

Dragon of the Lost Sea by Laurence Yep