The hydatos crystals are more normalized over the relative size of Hydatos itself---IE: you get fewer crystals considering how little travel time it is because the zone is tiny compared to the previous ones. But despite all the bellyaching, Hydatos crystals aren't really the bottleneck there, it's the relative infrequency of spawning the Providence Watcher for the crystalline scales. That said, getting a geared group to prep the PW can make it spawn in less than an instance timer.
All told, Hydatos goes by pretty fast, especially since you can smash through it with the right logos and if you already have a Physeos weapon, you'd be able to solo stuff. Pagos and lightfarming 33 crystals for that leg of the weapon takes SUBSTANTIALLY longer.