turiya
We come into this life with empty hands. We will leave this life also with empty hands. In between living and dying, people are lost in a dreamworld consisting of their attachment to objects and things. Gold represents land as property. Man's desire to possess objects that are found on this earthly plane. Man can put gold in his pocket and it is like carrying around moveable earth - a piece of land, property, that he can walk around with. With gold it makes it very easy for a person to obsessively accumulate wealth.
The idea that one can actually own property is ludicrous. It keeps man tethered to the trivial. Keeps him from becoming more evolved in consciousness. Keeps him distracted and from really growing up. Hence, humanity consists of so many beggars. They may have accumulated much gold - but remain beggars. Because once you possess it, this will create a desire to keep it, as there will always be others around that will want to take it away from you.
Gold representing property, makes it very easy for a single person to become obsessed with possession of so much.
It serves a purpose. It allows one to enter into greed which underlies his obsessiveness. One can learn about greed only by entering into it, not by avoiding it. The existence of gold can help one wake up to other more real treasures that life consists of.