While your not going to see the uber millions you used to see, all crafts are still profitable. The big question is more bout the player now (which is very good for the game in the long run). If you enjoy the research, the trials and tribulations of crafting more than farming, you can make relatively equal gil to farming. However, crafting of any variety is no longer easy money and no longer out paces farming really.
On the other hand, Goldsmithing can be combined with farming and gardening to make a ton of gil. Essentially, look at what you like to farm and pick a craft to compliment it. If you like farming beastmen, then goldsmithing and clothcraft offer many desynths with can drastically improove your ability to stay on task and not constantly run home to empty inventory space. You can then turn those drops into item or just sell them straight up.
Goldsmithing isnt the big gil sink people say it is. Generally, you can sell the stuff you level on. The stuff may sell slow, but it does eventually recoop most or even all of your gil. The key is being willing to invest your liquid assests and see a small loss or very little profit while leveling. Once you get up there in the mid eighties, the pay off will be especially good for gardeners growing Ore and nuggets. I am leveling Gsmithing for exactly this reason, to facilitate my 80 pots.
Edited, Jun 6th 2007 9:51am by Duhkha
Edited to add Duhkha's Guide to Goldsmithing...
0-1 - Go out in the windy area and farm Yag Necklasses. Use a lighting crystal to SYNTH (not a desyth) these into Copper ingots. Use the ingots to level 1-8 by making Copper Hairpins (also the guild test item)
8-11 Buy brass Ingots and Synth them into Brass Sheets - Sell these in jeuno at small profit to a small loss
11-17 Brass Hair Pin - these sell slow, but the sell at either a slight profit or slight loss
OR
11-18 Silver Ingot (from silver beast coins) Save these, you will need them
17-20 Synth Colored Rocks and save them to make rings later. These will lose money pretty bad, but thems the breaks...and you can mine, farm and garden the Rocks.
OR
17-20 Silver Ingots from 4 silver Ore. You can do this buying ore from vendor. again, save these as they are useful later.
20-27 Silver Hairpin - Again, sell these slowly for a small profit on AH Jeuno
27-32 Silver Ring - Save these
32-35 Use the colored rock you synthed to make rings. I like Amathyst Rings personally. I gave some to friends and sold at a loss on AH. Fortunately, you wont make more that 15-20 of these with reasonable luck
35-38 Mythril Ingots (from Mythril Beast Coins) I think you can farm these in castle oztroja(sp?) Save the ingots again!
38-40 Mythril Ingot from Ore...Buy these from vendor by the airship
40-43 Mythril Chain (under the righ circumstances, you can skip this. It is a loss atm
43-47 Mythril Ring - save these
47-51 Gold Ingot from Gold Beast Coins - Save these
51-53 Gold Ingot from Gold ORe (if they are on AH or mine them)
53-58 Gold Hairpin - Sell on AH
58-60 Gold Arrowheads
60-63 Platinum Ingot from Ore
63-68 Platinum Earing
68-70 Platinum Ring
Edited, Jun 6th 2007 10:14am by Duhkha