I think a more valid criticism than "no shops" is how forgettable most of the shops are for the majority of the game. I haven't bought a single weapon or item from a shop. I've bought a bunch of certain types of components and a couple of accessories, and I'm in chapter 11.
Again, a more valid criticism than "no NPCs" is how insignificant every NPC is. The only way to learn stuff is through cutscenes and the Datalog, and the only way to do sidequests is wait until chapter 11 to accept them from crystals; similarly, the only way to shop is by going to a save point. It's like the world does not really exist outside of the six party members.
