Having enough to cover the cost of repairs from running the end game content itself is hardly asking for much. It's such a small deal MMO's have been doing it for years, because they know they also have to cater to those who may only have a couple of hours per night to invest.
I'm not saying make end game content a viable means to make Gil like your post suggests, I simply believe that they need to make running end game content a viable means of repairing your gear for those who have limited time to play. If they want other perks then yes by all means they should have to work for it.