"...did your reverance hear of the portent that was seen last night? A great red letter in the sky,--the letter A,--which we interpret to stand for Angel. For, as our good Governor Winthrop was made an angel this past night, it was doubtless held fit that there should be some notice thereof!" ((Chapter 12/PAGE 138))
I have said this before in a previous post, but the meteor is a sign of good as it has brought something natural as a symbol of understanding and tolerance within the elitist, Puritan town. The reaction of the townsperson in this page is happy and bright, contrary to what we have seen in previous chapters. Everyone is drab, emotionless it seems, just like the people outside the jail at the beginning of the book; all old, gray, unhappy people. Here, with the brightening of the town and the happiness that spread, the sexton has received a positive attitude towards the sad death of Governor Winthrop.
Another way to view this, could be another reference to the private guilt being the death of Arthur. Arthur has dwelled on the A on Hester's chest for years, remarking it to be the epitome of public shame that would crush him should he receive one on his chest. The society cast a horrible symbolism and harsh sin to go along with the letter, which is the only viewpoint Arthur has of the punishment. Although it seems to be helping Hester, and the new understanding the meteor brings seems to make light of the letter, allowing it to represent something divine and wonderful. (Which would be Hester in Arthur's eyes; someone who is divine and beautiful to him.)
What's sort of ironic is the fact that the person who voices the news of the positive interpretation of the meteor is the sexton of the church. The sexton is someone who does menial tasks around the church, most notable taking care of the dead and tending to the graveyard, which isn't someone whom one would normally picture delivering good news. The irony is also apparent in the fact the the sexton is telling Arthur such news because the letter, as he understands it as of now, is only a sign of evil and it has been deteriorating his spirit and his sense; killing him slowly. Therefore the sexton is providing an example that is trying to save his life by giving him a new path of thought in accordance to the letter.
You could also look at the "A" as showing nature and nature is a path of freedom if acknowledged or accepted. But yes, Dimmesdale looks at the "A" as a symbol of evil, his evil.
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