What does the meteor in Chapter 12 mean to the story as a whole (theme)?

The Puritans interpreted meteor showers as messages from God. They saw them as warnings. The Puritan community saw the meteor as a sign that their deceased governor had been an angel (remember the meteor is in the shape of an A). Whereas Dimmesdale interpreted it as a sign of his own sin. Dimmesdale believes the meteor is a personal sign to him; the colony sees it in a broader context.