The question isnt about customization, it's about how well the system fits into the storyline, not about how awesome you can make your characters.
Yep.

And as a personal preference, being a D&D nut as I am, I always enjoyed characters having to devote their lives to the study of magic. A Black Mage or a White Mage is a person who's committed themselves solely to their art, and that is what they specialize in. A Red Mage might be better in a fight and might use both magics, but he isn't nearly as good as those who've spent their whole lives in singular devotion to the magic.

Furthermore, I liked both when characters learn spells as a result of their natural leveling up process, and the requirement that people by spellbooks so that they are able to learn the spell they must cast. But again, that's probably from my enjoyment of the D&D world.