try making x potions of str/int etc. 15 shards for a set of 3. adds up quick, especially if you are progressing on new coil turns. potions are consumable, moreso the poisoning potions bc u can pop 5 of them per fight potentially. they could just have alchemist craft shards, apparently this was a thing in ffxi. i don't mind my retainer gathering 5 crystals at a time, but shards, they should at least be able to grab 15 at a time. or let us gather 3-5 per hit, so you get 15-25 per node. the expensive items use crystals and clusters, so idont see the big deal. some foods and potions require shards, but if its 15 shards per craft, you burn through them pretty quick.