Nothing in Passwall says it shores up the overhead materials... mine cave in, anyone?
Dig a 10ft hole, Passwall!
Now that's an idea.
What my PC's did (albeit up around 14th level) was disintegrate a 10-foot pit into the stone ground, then start using passwall and phase door for various purposes.
It would slow down the advance of the caravan, but it would be doable. Sadly, it is above the abilities of a 5th level Wizard.