Alchemy - Worth 18 Runes?

[travelingoz]

I think it depends on your style of play. If you like to use lots of different spells, as i do, then you will probably need at least level 2 in Alchemy otherwise, even with Neatness, you may find yourself running out of crystals quite often.
If however, like some of the other posters, you only use a few spells, then Neatness will give you more than enough to finish the game.