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Why is it highly questionable? It's pretty common to shorten long words or phrases.

Because "crypto" is already "cryptography". It's annoying to use the same abbreviation for two different domains that are closely related.

Crypto isn't short for anything. It derives from the Greek kryptós (meaning hidden), and acts like an adjective in words like cryptography, cryptology, and cryptanalysis.

Pretty sure I've heard "crypto" used a few thousand times as shorthand for "cryptography". And now also for "cryptocurrency".

People absolutely use crypto as a shortened form of cryptography and cryptocurrency.

It is not an adjective it is a prefix, which is part of a word.

Words can mean more then one thing so it can be a shortened form of a word and a word all on its own, but I've never seen crypto used as a complete word.

I don't see why where it is derived from is relevant.

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