You will encounter crowds, particularly toward the end from Sarria onward. One strategy would be to plan short days and stop early, around noon. Since many albergues do not open until 1500, you might have to wait, but you will get a bed (much to the annoyance of the pilgrims who walk until 1600-1700). It takes about two weeks to walk from Leon to Santiago (11 to 14 days), so if you plan 10-15 km days and walk for nearly three weeks, you will walk relaxed and have plenty of time each day to sniff the flowers, and you will stop in many of the smaller towns that others walk past.