if you decide to do a pearl, do yourself a favor and have them write down the exact amount of pearl per gallon/pint etc they put in, they should be able to get very close to matching it if you do...BUT also tell them to mix you an extra pint of your exact color so you have it sitting in your garage or wherever for touchups in the future. The shelf life is very good as long as there aren't any hardners and its sealed very well and not kept in cold environments...i'm getting my car painted in the winter and will be doing black with a minor red pearl...but my advantage is i'm personal friends with the shop owners and i can ask for the extra pint as well as they will remember the mixture for me in the future...nothing will be perfect to match in the end but you can get very close to it by preparing for the worst
