They’re only there to consume your time and also your levels+leves. Even now I’m having great difficulty leveling even with moogles just by crafting since it takes 10-12 Collectible Turn-Ins just to hit another level.
It would be nice if Heavensward didn’t require so many mats just to craft something at Lv 50, and have a ridiculous Craftsmanship requirement saying you need to have hit end-game ARR crafting.