Mac Mini will not boot, stuck on Apple Logo (no progress bar)

So this seems to be a permanent issue, but I could be wrong, however I cannot seem to boot my Mac Mini 2018 properly. I have tried the following key combinations to get the system to fix itself:

• Manually restart: Power (⎋)
• Safe Mode: Shift (⇧)
• Reset PRAM/NVRAM: Command (⌘)—Option (⌥)—P—R, then release the keys after you hear the startup sound for a second time
• Reset SMC: Shut down your Mac, and then press and hold the left-side Shift (⇧)—Control (⌃)—Option keys along with the Power (⎋) button, all at the same time, until the computer turns on. Now release the keys and then turn your Mac back on using the power button.

The only options that work are:

• Recovery OS: Command (⌘)—R
• Internet Recovery OS: Command (⌘)—Option (⌥)—R

.. where I end up running Disk Utility on all of the available drives, without any errors.

After rebooting I am still stuck on the Apple logo with no progress bar.

The only way that I can get my Mac Mini to load up is if do one of the two recovery options, and re-install MacOS or restore my system to the latest Time Machine backup.

But after re-installing or restoring from a backup and it loading, let's say I reboot the machine -- it then gets stuck on the Apple logo with no progress bar again.

What could be the problem?