Can an onlay be used to treat a partially cracked tooth instead of a crown? (photos)

I had Onlay done several years ago on last tooth in the back tooth #2 and it came off. My dentist retired that put it in and now the new dentist is recommending a crown. There is no pain in the tooth just missing tooth structure on the inner side of tooth. The majority of tooth structure looks to be intact and I would like to preserve as much of the tooth as possible by doing an Onlay but don't want to jeopardize the tooth if it needs a crown. Thoughts?