4th ranged DPS - Chemist

[Archwizard]

And that Sage was almost named Chemist

Please pass along the source on that.

But with regards to your post, if they tried to make a Chemist healer (apparently) twice and so thoroughly scratched it that they ended up with different Healer jobs each time, what makes you think it would still end up as a healer if they tried a third time...?
'Cuz it seems to me that at least part of the issue was trying to make it work as a healer. If they were set on trying to implement it at all, making it a support DPS instead seems like the surefire way to bypass whatever obstacles were there.

Plus they could get more mileage out of it IMO. We already have potions and ethers and antidotes for common status effects, we don't have any analog for some of the old damaging consumables like Arctic Winds and White Fangs.