How do we know he's fantastic? If he has produced work that is fantastic he would be able to get paid to do more such work. My guess is that you're presuming that he had an undiscovered skill that he can't discover because of his menial job.

It's his responsibility to plan his life accordingly. He may write on weekends and slowly steer toward his passion. I'm with you that some talents are less appreciated by society and thus less rewarded. Fundamentally it's down to the individual to decide what he wants to sacrifice in his life.