Hi!
1. That is not possible unfortunately, only the search results archive works that way.
2a. Yes, you can use the auto-populate feature. However I do not recommend displaying everything all at once, that can slow down the client browser due to the amount of inrormation. Mabye 25-50 items at once is a good option.
2b. You can use the asp_results filter hook. That lets you loop thorugh the results. For example.
2c. The advanced title and content fields allow you adding additional custom field content, or taxonomy terms. For more complex cases, you can use the previous filter.