Hi There!
My suggestion is to add a story to the game and in that story and upon completion of story quests player would receive higher ranks/role like for example the kings royal blacksmith so you would get a big blacksmith shop in the castle or just money and trust from the king. Also add a workers for example you need to pay like a 50 coins(money) per day per one worker and so you can tell worker what to do either to keep crafting and selling stuff so for example player would create like an axe head and than put it on the crafting table and than if certain criteria would be met the worker would came around and make an axe with the grip or either you could employ your worker to gather resources like chopping wood or mining ores but you would still need to craft tools for your workers and equip those tools to the workers also if you would want to fire certain worker or if he would die somehow than you would get everything that he had on himself(equip-ed) or if he collected some resources and he was carrying them to your shop you would get all that back in a delivery box after he died and a message should appeared by the priest saying " Good Morning Sir ! I am afraid that i have sad news for you today sir, One of your workers just died and it was his death wish that all of this belongings would be yours after he dies. I've just ordered the mailman to deliver you his stuff. And if you will be anywhere around the church come around will ya ? Anyways, his funeral will be today at 5.00 AM in royal church so feel free to come by. Farewell My Friend " so and than you would get his stuff delivered.
Best Regards,
TheBestGamerYT