Wherefore Crickets?

One of the (impressive) Fray-joiners has already come close to—if not landed squarely on—this interpretation, I believe, and it makes sense to me. The dream comes after Tony has said goodbye to Melfi, so I assume it represents an unconscious effort to retreat. When one takes into consideration the crappy-housing scam that Tony is practicing and trying to protect—poor Vic the Appraiser; has anyone reaped more fully and pathetically what he has sown?—this dream of being a builder becomes especially poignant. And dramatically satisfying. But what did the dream’s loud crickets mean?