i think that like many myths, it speaks of human nature.  adam and eve, pandora the phrase "curiosity killed the cat" etc all refer to the basic primal human urge to poke around at things we know we shouldn't or we fear/are told might be dangerous.  

this instinct frequently gets people killed or just into huge trouble, but also probably helped us evolve from apes and is behind many advances we have made as a species.  

i read once that there have been experiments performed where a large red button (or similar) marked "danger, do not press this button" was installed in a public place and a record was kept of how people reacted.  unsuprisingly, many people pressed it, just to see what would happen.

I agree with you. And also, I think it is a kind of a test for resisting power of temptation. If you are able to resist, your stregth get stronger ... if you can't you are to face unknown powers.  

Pandora, she was a woman charished by the gods. The Gods gave her gifts of all sorts. She was given the box by Zeus with the warning to never open the box. Curiousity got the better of her and she opened it. All the woes and folly of the human race that are out there today were let lose upon the world. However, she was able to close the box just in time to keep the one thing that keeps most of the human race going within the confines of that little box. Hope.