I think he was being poetic.  If he was being literal the universe would be a being, a living and now-conscious being.  Carl Sagan seemed like the kind of guy to want evidence of that sort of thing before he believed in it.

I once thought along these lines as a deist. Then I gave it up when it stopped making sense.

You imply purpose to something that doesn't need a purpose.  We live in a monoistic, physical universe to the best of our current knowledge.  You're applying scientific findings, which are grounded in the known empirical universe to metaphysics, which by definition is grounded on something beyond physical.  I think metaphysical concepts are best used in self consistent logical propositions such as the OA.  They're not necessarily contingent on reality.  I see where your thought is coming from, and it has a certain attraction to it, I just can't get past the unjustifiably implied purpose of consciousness.  It is the actual underlying root of theism. 

 I don't agree that thinking there is a purpose behind consciousness is the root of theism. I can believe in a purpose, as long as I keep the question open and do not make any certain claims that my beliefs are the only truth. 

I don't see "purpose" being meaningful outside the context of a being with some intent.

I can see it being arguably applicable to any life-form, which, at a minimum, has a 'purpose' to reproduce or propagate it's species.

But to non-living physical objects and processes, not really.

 Yes, achieving a better consciousness is a very esoterically meaningful purpose of life. 

But why that DNA adoration? What is so special about it? It's an instrument for our manifestation, not the goal itself. Having a better DNA does not directly improve the quality of your consciousness. It's way too slow process, anyway. Humanity gains global awareness much faster than DNA could reflect this process. 

And why competition? It is a pointless self-serving process, as long as there is competition, we must compete to preserve ourselves. But we can do without it. Just because in the nature animals eat each other, doesn't mean we must too. Even animals can coexist, cooperate, live in a symbiosis or even demonstrate self-sacrifice. Isn't that aspect of nature more worthy of admiration? 

The evolution of DNA and consciousness are two different processes. Once we develop to a certain point, consciousness takes over the development so quickly, that DNA evolution will become meaningless. Advanced future forms of genetic engineering and not only that will prevail. Already people know what adjustments should be done to fix our makeshift bodies (like deactivated vitamin C production or reversed retinas) and that animals and plants could use some genetic engineering too. 

Ponder further and maybe you will agree with me, that the form of life is important, but it's not the true image of life. It is "only" something, that tries to reflect that essential image better and better, and this is the basis of development. Forms try to reflect and manifest their essential image and then they are destroyed in favor of building new, better forms. I'm not sure what happens when a perfection of form is achieved, if it's a final phase then either liberation from the form occurs, or a total freedom and control over it, the power to manifest at will. If it's achieved individually ahead of the end and the others, then the form helps others to speed up their own perfecting process, serving the whole selflessly.