I have been wondering this for a while, what did alchemists actually do and what was their actual motivation? Most importantly, was there anything in particular that got their ultimate goals of creating gold and obtaining eternal life going?
Aside from the superstition regarding them, did they actually manage to contribute with medical knowledge or the likes of it, or were they simply a burden for everyone?
Instead of writing this all out again, I'll link to where I've answered this before:
Here's a whole AMA I did on alchemy.
In case you're interested in the process
A summary of the whole history of alchemy
Just a tiny bit of the actual scientific progress made by alchemists
You're asking a question that spans a majority of the world and some 1400 years, so it's a difficult one to answer as a whole.
I do a podcast on the history of alchemy where I go into detail on those questions and much more, if you're interested.
If you'd like to narrow your question down, or ask something as a follow up, I'd be happy to go into more detail.