All nations where sigraxes exist will have alchemists, more alchemists than sigraxes indeed. That because is easier to fail the First Test than to succeed. However, explain what an alchemist is in the context of Sharitarn is trickier that explain mages and sigraxes.
Alchemists, sigraxes and
mages have a two important things in common:
For starts : all three begin life with this special and rare property named "magic potential".
(All talking species produce some individuals with that potential, but not many. It has some influence of genetics, in the weaker sense possible, but have parents with developed magic powers only raises the chances of be born with the potential, do not grants it; and on the other hand a significant number of people born with the potential have no close ancestors how had it. Involuntary immigrants, humans or not, are about as likely as Sharitarne natives to be born with this.
By itself the MP has no utility, and cannot be detected. Mage Castes and wild sigraxes have tests to verify the existence of this potential. Those who have it have a chance to develop their inner Xar, but that is only a chance)
After detect the potential a Mage University or a wild sigrax mentor will instruct the aspirant in basic meta-magic principles and exercises. If the aspirant don't give up early will came a time for his First Test. That moment separates alchemist, sigraxes and mages. Mages succeed the test, sigraxes half-fail it, alchemists are the total disaster (by comparison).
2: all three can use magical items, repair them with the proper tools, and make potions. They also are affected more easily by magic potions.
Here is the point that set alchemists apart from those without awaken MP.
The existence of alchemists has to do with how magic items and potions work on Sharitarn. To give you an example lets say you find the vampire sword Altair owned for some time getting dust somewhere on the wild.
It is a pretty weapon, very well made. Weights about the same than any other sword of same size and material. After use it for some time you notice that it stays sharp and never rust. If you test the weapon for some reason, you will find out that it does not melt at high temperatures and is impossible to brake by mundane means. That is the extent of what this magic weapon will be for you, and any half decent magical item will show the same properties.
If you give this weapon to an alchemist, or became one yourself, this same sword will be a very different tool in your hands.
For starts, as most good magical blades do, it will now cut through anything except other magic weapons. It is not the power of this particular weapon yet, just the basic ground for magic swords.
This weapon steal "blood" (vital energy actually, your foe do not need to even have any fluid in his anatomy for that spell work) any time you hurt someone, and gives it to you. Making you stronger and faster, recovering your stamina and even healing you. All woulds caused by the blade keep bleeding, they do not heal, and that is the most impressive part for Sharitarnes: those wounds cannot be healed by healing spells.
What matter for us here is that you only get the magic effects to work if you have magic potential awaken. If not, the vampire blade will not cut a mundane breastplate any better than any other sword would, and the wounds caused by it will heal normally. You have no way to know what the weapon (or any other magical item) can do, unless you have magic potential awaken to interact with it.
You can find out if something is magic or not, usually, but not how powerful it is.
Sigraxes and mages are just as able to use the magic weapons and tools as alchemists are, and they have advantages in many cases. However, members of those two groups have spells to learn, and that brings a lot more elements to worry about. Alchemists on the other hand cannot perform spells.
So usually when you need a magic sword or armor repaired (after a fight against magic users and other magic weapons, probably) chances are that the one doing the repair will be an alchemist. Not a sigrax, and much less a mage.
Properly armed a skilled alchemist is a match for any sigrax. They do need a considerable advantage in terms of weapons and armor, previous information about the enemy also helps. Still, is not a contrast as extreme as would be if the sigrax was facing a mundane warrior, or a unarmed alchemist.
If you need to buy magical items or have them repaired chances are that you will be dealing with a alchemist.
Those fellows burned their chance to develop their magic potential, mutilating their magical body irreversibly when they failed the First Test. They got something from that painful experience however. They are unable to use magic as sigraxes and mages can, but they do have magic potential awaken and it is enough to use magical weapons, armors and tools as they are supposed to be used.
Sigraxes and mages seldom have time to dedicate themselves to master the arts related to use and maintain those magical objects. Or mix magical potions.
Naturally, to do good use of their advantage alchemists must dedicate themselves to develop a set of skills they can improve with magic weapons. Being as swordsmen, blacksmiths, sellers, or mixing potions like the most iconic image of "alchemist" that came to most minds.
(The "Two Sisters Ring" is not a particularly powerful magic weapon, but it is practical. While most magical weapons look like mundane versions of what they are, this magical ring looks nothing like a weapons. When activated the ring creates two ghost swords that are just a little better than non-magic weapons, and can barely block the weakest magic swords. They do cut through non-magical things well enough.
A curiosity about the Sisters is that they never block each other, their blades pass through each other like light through clean air. It is useless perhaps, but do looks cool in fast movements.
Despite the misleading "ghost" classification the swords have nothing to do with Necromancy. The spells in them are from Creation and Dimensional magic Ways. )
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