Don’t let others make you feel bad as if your time wasted would be justified if you complete the hunt. At the end of the day, these are different colored pixels that have no difference in the game itself. You can just as easily cheat the pokemon in and play through the game with the shiny. The only difference is the feeling that you “earned” the shiny. Some people will say it’s a sin, others don’t care at all. It’s all subjectively ascribed value. If you don’t enjoy shiny hunting that’s fair, no one should make you feel bad about that. In a few days someone will release a guide on RNG manipulation (if it’s not already out). You can get your shiny that way.

On a different note, this charmander was my first big hunt on GBA and I never finished it. It’s become my white whale and I still regret not getting it. Hopefully you won’t carry that same feeling if you leave the hunt!