You're asking to install custom font, just to have currency symbol properly displayed in a spreadsheet or email. How many people are going to do that? Think about it. The web is easier as this only has to be done once per site, but that's one extra uneccesary step. We should make life easier, not harder.

Point is, it doesn't work for majority of users here with modern computers and modern, very popular, operating systems who also happen to have technical skills way above the average. If it doesn't work for us, it won't work for general population, period.