I'm just not getting how the symbolism is that big a deal since, as you pointed out, the line about Aerith being a symbol in her profile is in the past tense. She was a factor in Cloud closing himself off, as a symbol of his failures.
But he resolved that in ACC, leaving us with the present tense--Aerith lives on in her friends' hearts. Nothing about her being a symbol there.
And on the flipside, Aerith describes Cloud outside of being a symbol in Case of Lifestream ("someone to be protected"), with traits specific to him ("the Cloud she knew had a very fragile heart").
Your original post said they see each other as symbols rather than individuals, but I don't see anything that says they ever stopped thinking of each other as individuals, as Ariadne already said. Conversely, if Cloud had stopped thinking of Aerith as an individual, she'd be a rather shallow symbol of his failure to protect "those dear to him".
I mean, I certainly agree the dynamic changed after her death, Aerith can't go "teehee let's go on the airship!/let's go, bodyguard!" every other day when she's dead. But I think the relationship between the change and the symbolism is only indirect (Cloud's symbolism of Aerith is tied to her death).
Guess what word has stopped looking like a word to me.
Honestly, Hito's post is phrased as simply speculation, and I'd rather trust my own reading comprehension on this-- Cloud is a symbol of what's important to her because he is a friend and beloved. He is certainly a friend, there's no arguing that, and given that she worries over hurting him versus trying to get his help for a threat to the entire Planet, I don't think it's a stretch to think Cloud is beloved by Aerith.
