“There is no work, no customers,” said a salesman at an art gallery in Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus. “It has been a really bad season.”

Analysts said the Syrian government would now take other steps to protect its foreign reserves, which Finance Minister Mohammad al-Jleilati recently estimated at $18 billion — enough to cover the country’s imports for two years. Some economists dismissed that figure as inflated.

It was not immediately clear why Syria would impose such a ban if it had two years’ worth of reserves on hand. The measure was announced by the economy minister, Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar, on Sept. 26. He said that it was temporary and precautionary, but that it was necessary to protect foreign currency reserves, a main indicator of the government’s stability.

The Obama administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity following diplomatic protocol, contended that despite the reversal, “the damage has already been done.” The official said inflation had tripled and smuggling had surged since the decision was made, unsettling the business elite in Syria, which has largely sided with the government.

The “well-to-do are completely dismayed with Assad,” the American official said. “They don’t think he knows what he’s doing. Inflation has gone up. He can’t fix it.”

Turkey remains a wild card in the developments in Syria. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, once one of Mr. Assad’s closest allies, has said he will no longer communicate with the Syrian president, after Mr. Assad repeatedly misled Mr. Erdogan and other Turkish officials about his intentions. Turkish officials have said they will impose sanctions soon, possibly by this week, potentially deepening Syria’s economic woes. Particularly in Aleppo, near the Turkish border, Turkey has fostered economic ties.

At the Security Council, nine nations, including the United States and its Western allies, voted for the measure condemning Syria, while Brazil, India, South Africa and Lebanon abstained. Russia, whose main ally in the Middle East is Syria, had said that it would not accept a resolution that included even a hint of sanctions.

The American ambassador, Susan E. Rice, accused opponents of the resolution of seeking to continue arms sales to Syria. “During this season of change, the people of the Middle East can now see clearly which nations have chosen to ignore their calls for democracy and instead prop up desperate, cruel dictators,” Ms. Rice said.