Quick theory: Yababa and gold
Okay so Spirited Away has tons and tons of little details and meanings and symbolism and it'd take a master class at college to get all of it. But one little one I have (and apologies if this is well-known I am not the most social geek), is about Yababa. And No Face, but most Yababa.
Okay so we know she loves money. A lot. Gold, jewels, it doesn't matter, just give her more. And we have No Face, who gives people what it thinks they want most.
So in the bathhouse, thats gold and lots of it. Of course, we know its dirt, always was (the new tokens he gives Chihiro were likely dirt as well). But we know this because Yababa's gold dissolved. Why?
Well, lets look closer. The dirt disolves the exact moment she realizes her baby has vanished.
Now, it could be Yababa's magic going awry, but as we never see this, I doubt it. It's more likely a side-effect of how No Face's abilities work.
If the dirt transforms into whatever people desire most in the moment, then what would that be for Yababa? Gold. Until.
Her most precious, her Baby, is threatened.
The dirt, no longer the holder of Yababa's desires, dissolves to its native state. She didn't want it, so the spell broke. And why didn't she want that? Because her Baby is worth more to her than gold.
This, may be obvious, but I found it interesting. For all her flaws, she does love her child.
