We present a detailed study of mid-infrared spectroscopy and optical imaging of Seyfert galaxies with the goal of understanding the properties of astronomical dust around the central supermassive black hole and the accretion disk. Specifically, we have studied Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared spectra of 12 Seyfert 1.8-1.9s and 57 Seyfert 1s and 2s available in the Spitzer public archive, and the nuclear dust morphology in the central 500 pc of 91 narrow and broad-line Seyfert 1s using optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope. We have also developed a visualization software to aid the understanding of the geometry of the central engine. Based on these studies, we conclude that the nuclear regions of Seyfert galaxies are fueled by dusty spirals driven by the large-scale stellar bars in the host galaxy. Grand-design dust spirals are more prevalent in narrow-line Seyfert 1s, which may explain why their relative accretion rates tend to be higher compared to broad-line Seyfert 1s. The accumulation of dusty gas in the central kiloparsec leads to enhanced star formation. In this case, the circumnuclear starburst and the central engine competes for dominance in the heating of the circumnuclear dust. Emission from the heated dust is most clearly seen in the mid-infrared. Using the Spitzer spectra, we find that the effects of the starburst-heated dust can be quantified by the PAH emission features or the steepness of the 20-30 um continuum. We find that the spectra of Seyfert 2s show the most morphology variations due to variation in the contribution of the starburst contribution. We find that the spectra of Seyfert 2s that are devoid of starburst contribution are dominated by a single thermal component at a temperature of T = 170 K. We also find that the mid-IR continua of Seyfert 1.8/1.9 galaxies are more like those of starburst-dominated Seyfert 2s than Seyfert 1s, contrary to expectations. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of the Unified Model of AGN and the secular evolution of Seyfert nuclei.