So I'd start with some populating of the area.

This is a desert. Are there resources here that can be gathered, or is it just for travel/avoiding? If there are resources, you could have nomads who live off said resources.

Sand Sharks are a must.

Plus some kind of mega monster (like a kracken) that people talk about how to avoid (maybe it has a predictable stomping ground, or migration route. Or maybe you can do something to avoid it eating you when you detect it nearby, like standing...very...still.) Sand worms are always a good choice. And you can hide on rocky outcroppings.

This being a fantasy desert, we could (a) make it huge, and (b) break it into two kinds of terrain, analogous to land and sea.

The "land" has caravans and camels. The "sea" has wind-powered sand-boats. The kind of sand can differ between the two.

Maybe the "sea" has the sand worm in it, and the rhythmic action of walking attracts it. So you need enchanted "sand-boats" to cross it. The sand boats don't work on the "land" (why? Sand wrong consistency? Or maybe because the boats use magic from the ancient empire, and it only works within that ancient empires bounds/radius? Players can find out.)

Herders who herd earth elemental creatures, and harvest gems from them. They eat sand, but only certain kinds of sand. The herders take their goods to the trade centers. The trade center is on the edge of the sea of sand, and the goods are loaded onto sand-boats. In the sea, there are sand-pirates; they make their victims walk, which gives them a high chance of being eaten by the sand-worm.

Beings living under the sand in tunnels/caverns.

Oasis. Creatures living there claiming a price.

Flying predators that only come out at night. You have to be in a fortified location to be safe. Nomads use some kind of magic or bargain.

Factions of gem-herders (different clans), seperated by terrain. Sand-pirates. Land caravans that carry the goods from the trade nodes. A region that isn't served by the sand-boats (no "water" nearby) where the caravan takes it to the nearby harbor.

Pyramids.

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1. Exploring a pyramid -- insides contain information. Why?
2. Getting a sand-boat. How? Should be part way through adventure.
3. Befriending a faction. Players can pick? Would players want to join pirates?
4. Locals consider outsiders foolish (to make fun of colonialism). Maybe main economy is using gems to cast spells to fuel food/water creating items, selling gems is secondary?
5. Under-sand world exploration (tunnels).
6. At least one run-through-bazaar chase.
7. Mad wizard who thinks they can control sand-worms.

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