End crystal still damages surrounding blocks even if /gamerule mobGriefing is turned off

Steps to reproduce:

1) Place an End Crystal on the ground.

2) Turn off mobGriefing using command "/gamerule mobGriefing false"

3) Hit the End Crystal. even though the End Crystal is an entity, turning mobGriefing does affect if the End Crystal's damage, which means damage will still be done to the surrounding terrain.

What I expected: The end crystal should not explode when mobGriefing is false