I am re-finishing a walnut table. The top coat was originally lacquer
and had been badly damaged.

It was stripped and then I wiped it with mineral spirits. It looked
great - no lacquer residue. The surface was obviously dyed with
something like golden oak and the filled with a grain filler. I did a
light sanding and sprayed a light coat of satin varnish on it. The
table appears very dull with very muted color.

I am hesitant to put on more varnish to find out if the color will
come back up. One thought is to first apply a walnut gel stain to
enhance the color and follow that with a coat of dewaxed shellac.
After that, go back to a couple of coats of varnish again.

Can I apply the gel stain over the varnish?
Is it advisable or will added coats of the varnish alone bring up the
color?
Any other thoughts on the subject??

Thanks,
Len