diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/api/symbols.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/api/symbols.ts
index b23cc76b07..af72642041 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/api/symbols.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/api/symbols.ts
@@ -155,8 +155,24 @@ export interface ReferenceSymbol {
    */
   declaration: TmplAstReference;
 
-  /** The location in the shim file of a variable that holds the type of the local ref. */
-  shimLocation: ShimLocation;
+  /**
+   * The location in the shim file of a variable that holds the type of the local ref.
+   * For example, a reference declaration like the following:
+   * ```
+   * var _t1 = document.createElement('div');
+   * var _t2 = _t1; // This is the reference declaration
+   * ```
+   * This `targetLocation` is `[_t1 variable declaration].getStart()`.
+   */
+  targetLocation: ShimLocation;
+
+  /**
+   * The location in the TCB for the identifier node in the reference variable declaration.
+   * For example, given a variable declaration statement for a template reference:
+   * `var _t2 = _t1`, this location is `[_t2 node].getStart()`. This location can
+   * be used to find references to the variable within the template.
+   */
+  referenceVarLocation: ShimLocation;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -185,8 +201,16 @@ export interface VariableSymbol {
    */
   declaration: TmplAstVariable;
 
-  /** The location in the shim file of a variable that holds the type of the template variable. */
-  shimLocation: ShimLocation;
+  /**
+   * The location in the shim file for the identifier that was declared for the template variable.
+   */
+  localVarLocation: ShimLocation;
+
+  /**
+   * The location in the shim file for the initializer node of the variable that represents the
+   * template variable.
+   */
+  initializerLocation: ShimLocation;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/src/template_symbol_builder.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/src/template_symbol_builder.ts
index 91cc032ae4..df08a4016f 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/src/template_symbol_builder.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/src/ngtsc/typecheck/src/template_symbol_builder.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {AbsoluteFsPath} from '../../file_system';
 import {ClassDeclaration} from '../../reflection';
 import {ComponentScopeReader} from '../../scope';
 import {isAssignment} from '../../util/src/typescript';
-import {DirectiveSymbol, DomBindingSymbol, ElementSymbol, ExpressionSymbol, InputBindingSymbol, OutputBindingSymbol, ReferenceSymbol, Symbol, SymbolKind, TemplateSymbol, TsNodeSymbolInfo, TypeCheckableDirectiveMeta, VariableSymbol} from '../api';
+import {DirectiveSymbol, DomBindingSymbol, ElementSymbol, ExpressionSymbol, InputBindingSymbol, OutputBindingSymbol, ReferenceSymbol, ShimLocation, Symbol, SymbolKind, TemplateSymbol, TsNodeSymbolInfo, TypeCheckableDirectiveMeta, VariableSymbol} from '../api';
 
 import {ExpressionIdentifier, findAllMatchingNodes, findFirstMatchingNode, hasExpressionIdentifier} from './comments';
 import {TemplateData} from './context';
@@ -303,7 +303,17 @@ export class SymbolBuilder {
       return null;
     }
 
-    return {...expressionSymbol, kind: SymbolKind.Variable, declaration: variable};
+    return {
+      tsType: expressionSymbol.tsType,
+      tsSymbol: expressionSymbol.tsSymbol,
+      initializerLocation: expressionSymbol.shimLocation,
+      kind: SymbolKind.Variable,
+      declaration: variable,
+      localVarLocation: {
+        shimPath: this.shimPath,
+        positionInShimFile: this.getShimPositionForNode(node.name),
+      }
+    };
   }
 
   private getSymbolOfReference(ref: TmplAstReference): ReferenceSymbol|null {
@@ -331,13 +341,19 @@ export class SymbolBuilder {
       return null;
     }
 
+    const referenceVarShimLocation: ShimLocation = {
+      shimPath: this.shimPath,
+      positionInShimFile: this.getShimPositionForNode(node),
+    };
     if (target instanceof TmplAstTemplate || target instanceof TmplAstElement) {
       return {
-        ...symbol,
-        tsSymbol: symbol.tsSymbol,
         kind: SymbolKind.Reference,
+        tsSymbol: symbol.tsSymbol,
+        tsType: symbol.tsType,
         target,
         declaration: ref,
+        targetLocation: symbol.shimLocation,
+        referenceVarLocation: referenceVarShimLocation,
       };
     } else {
       if (!ts.isClassDeclaration(target.directive.ref.node)) {
@@ -345,11 +361,13 @@ export class SymbolBuilder {
       }
 
       return {
-        ...symbol,
         kind: SymbolKind.Reference,
         tsSymbol: symbol.tsSymbol,
+        tsType: symbol.tsType,
         declaration: ref,
         target: target.directive.ref.node,
+        targetLocation: symbol.shimLocation,
+        referenceVarLocation: referenceVarShimLocation,
       };
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/language-service/ivy/definitions.ts b/packages/language-service/ivy/definitions.ts
index 5e59d651fe..de0b8ce78a 100644
--- a/packages/language-service/ivy/definitions.ts
+++ b/packages/language-service/ivy/definitions.ts
@@ -90,7 +90,8 @@ export class DefinitionBuilder {
           });
         }
         if (symbol.kind === SymbolKind.Variable) {
-          definitions.push(...this.getDefinitionsForSymbols(symbol));
+          definitions.push(
+              ...this.getDefinitionsForSymbols({shimLocation: symbol.initializerLocation}));
         }
         return definitions;
       }
@@ -135,9 +136,11 @@ export class DefinitionBuilder {
         return [...bindingDefs, ...directiveDefs];
       }
       case SymbolKind.Reference:
+        return this.getTypeDefinitionsForSymbols({shimLocation: symbol.targetLocation});
       case SymbolKind.Expression:
-      case SymbolKind.Variable:
         return this.getTypeDefinitionsForSymbols(symbol);
+      case SymbolKind.Variable:
+        return this.getTypeDefinitionsForSymbols({shimLocation: symbol.initializerLocation});
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/language-service/ivy/display_parts.ts b/packages/language-service/ivy/display_parts.ts
index aff731fbf6..0844fe6a81 100644
--- a/packages/language-service/ivy/display_parts.ts
+++ b/packages/language-service/ivy/display_parts.ts
@@ -56,7 +56,9 @@ export function getDisplayInfo(
   const displayParts = createDisplayParts(
       symbol.declaration.name, kind, /* containerName */ undefined,
       typeChecker.typeToString(symbol.tsType));
-  const documentation = getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(tsLS, symbol.shimLocation);
+  const documentation = symbol.kind === SymbolKind.Reference ?
+      getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(tsLS, symbol.targetLocation) :
+      getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(tsLS, symbol.initializerLocation);
   return {
     kind,
     displayParts,
diff --git a/packages/language-service/ivy/quick_info.ts b/packages/language-service/ivy/quick_info.ts
index 0079bc0e2f..32d99e65fd 100644
--- a/packages/language-service/ivy/quick_info.ts
+++ b/packages/language-service/ivy/quick_info.ts
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@ export class QuickInfoBuilder {
   }
 
   private getQuickInfoForVariableSymbol(symbol: VariableSymbol): ts.QuickInfo {
-    const documentation = this.getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(symbol.shimLocation);
+    const documentation = this.getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(symbol.initializerLocation);
     return createQuickInfo(
         symbol.declaration.name, DisplayInfoKind.VARIABLE, getTextSpanOfNode(this.node),
         undefined /* containerName */, this.typeChecker.typeToString(symbol.tsType), documentation);
   }
 
   private getQuickInfoForReferenceSymbol(symbol: ReferenceSymbol): ts.QuickInfo {
-    const documentation = this.getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(symbol.shimLocation);
+    const documentation = this.getDocumentationFromTypeDefAtLocation(symbol.targetLocation);
     return createQuickInfo(
         symbol.declaration.name, DisplayInfoKind.REFERENCE, getTextSpanOfNode(this.node),
         undefined /* containerName */, this.typeChecker.typeToString(symbol.tsType), documentation);
@@ -235,4 +235,4 @@ export function createQuickInfo(
     displayParts,
     documentation,
   };
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}