Is there any real point in getting maker this late?

Not true, they're still required for some recipes (most 60+ for monster crystals).

Iirc, monster crystals become useless(as yo72 said), instead item crystals or some thing(forgot their name, but they're differently named, same sprite though) are use in professions. Unless I've read wrong.

Ninja'd cause I was watching Tv. ;-;