Reddit mentions of Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul

Titus Burckhardt - Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul

Jung - Psychology and Alchemy

Jung - Alchemical Studies

Samael Aun Weor - The Perfect Matrimony: The Door to Enter into Initiation, Tantra and Sexual Alchemy Unveiled (don't take this guy too seriously because he's a bit of a nutter, but he is certainly worth a read)

Though it's not a book, also check out this album of images, particularly this image and this one

As for all the symbols, I highly recommend getting a dictionary of symbols and reading it straight through, from A to Z. My favorites are The Herder Dictionary of Symbols and The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols.

• "Windows of the Soul: Physiognomy in European Culture 1470-1780" by Martin Porter
  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/windows-of-the-soul-9780199276578?cc=us&lang=en&
  
  
• "Esotericism and the Academy: Rejected Knowledge in Western Culture" by Wouter J. Hanegraaff
  http://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/religion/religion-general-interest/esotericism-and-academy-rejected-knowledge-western-culture?format=HB&isbn=9780521196215#RPgRv3Wdp7EWoiFr.97
  
  
• "The Duke and the Stars: Astrology and Politics in Renaissance Milan" by Monica Azzolini
  http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674066632&content=reviews
  
  
• "Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul" by Titus Burckhardt
  https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Science-Cosmos-Soul/dp/1887752110
  
  
  To answer your question: Yes, I would consider hermetics a historic philosophical science. While hermetics isn't a reputable modern scientific field of study, its history and principles are worth studying within the social and political contexts of the time period you're interested in. We see throughout history, especially in the Renaissance, that occult sciences and hermetic principles made their way into the studies of many 'scientists' or "natural philosophers" in that era. Occult practices and philosophies sometimes neither were prominent in the overt studies of such scholars, nor heavily publicized by these scholars, because of the 'mystical'/secretive nature of possessing such occult knowledge (emphasis on the Latin origin of "occult" which means "to conceal/hide"). Despite them being hidden away from public eye, these philosophies were recorded, and sometimes even encrypted by their creators (like Hermes Trismegistus), giving historians who discover the writings a better idea of the development of scientific inquiry and how it progressed to the science we know today. It is definitely fascinating to study such a topic that has been discounted in modern scientific communities, since its sheds light on the fact that many of these occult philosophies were perceived by scholars of antiquity as valid methods of studying the natural world and universe. It can also be interesting to trace the lineage of what was considered 'taboo' natural philosophy and what was 'sound' natural philosophy back then, and then discovering where the branching of modern scientific method occurred.
  
  Best wishes & I hope you enjoy! The books above are great reads from I course I once took called "The Philosophy and History of Occult Science."

Essa idéia de que a alquimia foi uma versão trial da química é pura balela. Refutada por um acadêmico de respeito nessa obra aqui