Note that the steam version and from SE store are incompatible. If you buy it from steam then you will also have to keep buying future expansions on steam and vise versa.I'm happy to help! Ahhh I see, I too played the betas for them but was mostly focused on WoW (Legion was a great expansion by the way, in my experience. There's still lots of content there worth seeing if you're interested and people run old stuff for various gear/appearances, mounts, battle pets etc..). I am unsure if you're using the same SquareEnix account on your trial as the one you used back during the betas (I assume you never applied a retail key in the past), if not no worries but if you are, you MIGHT qualify for some extra in-game goodies, though I am unsure if beta experience alone confers them. I'm glad to hear about your business' success and that you now have time to come back to PC gaming - there's a ton of great content released in the past couple of years!
Its great that you're enjoying the trial so much and have decided to convert to full retail! Before you do so, just PM me an email address and I can send you the Recruit-A-Friend link to qualify. It will provide you with the 20% XP Boost < Level 25 Helm (which as you likely know can be used over and over again for every Job/class). Its kind of funny, the helm used to be a Moogle hat of sorts but they changed it to a more minimalist circlet appearance hehe), 99x Aetherite Tickets (use them for free teleportation between crystals. Can save you money especially early on. Here's a hint - cost increases the distance between Aetherite crystals, so I chose to only use mine on longer trips as opposed to those in the same/closeby zones), a fist-bump emote (this is new, I am unsure if you can get this outside of RAF. One neat thing about FFXIV is they had multi-player/partner emotes like dances and this fist-bump!) , and Silver Chocobo Feathers (can be turned in for gear at your discretion. Higher level gear requires more feathers per piece but overall its designed to give you gear to help you level up. Level 20 Weapons, Level 50 Equipment, and Level 60 Weapons/Equipment are available).
Regarding the purchase of the Complete Edition, remember there are multiple editions and potential for discounts! If you're a diehard FF fan, you may enjoy the Complete Edition Collector's version which offers a variety of in-game widgets that were part of the CE's for each A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood! Many of them reference older FF characters or items and wil be appreciated by a hardcore fan. If I am correct you can upgrade and get the in-game CE items later through SquareEnix Account / MogStation, if you choose to pick up the Standard version of the Complete Edition. More info here - https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/product/ with a breakdown of the various options. In any case, you can buy a Complete Edition at discount online either Standard or CE; I assume you need a NA region key (EU ones seem to be much cheaper but of course will not serve your needs account wise as they are region locked) At the moment, I'm showing that the best Complete Edition Standard price is a 33% discount on Steam itself! Note that if I am correct, if you buy a copy through Steam you can both launch through Steam or use the client you already have through the Trial . The Complete Collector's Edition is a bit harder to find on sale, but I can get it for 10% off from the Humble Store thanks to my Humble Monthly subscription.
I'll add what I meant about monetization when I edit this post, but I wanted to get this info to you first