I've now installed all three options for using DAS on a Mac (Macbook Pro) -- VMWare Fusion, Parallels, and CrossOver. The virtual machine option is a non-starter, at least on my laptop. Both programs present different issues and are resource-heavy. CrossOver seems to be the "lightest" option, inasmuch as it isn't hosting a separate, beastly operating system, partitioning the system memory in the process.
I agree with the point of view that the right set-up uses a PC. Trading risks are plenty -- there's no rationale for adding to them by running a critical application like DAS in a scenario where is may crash (as I've already experienced). If this happens with positions open, ouch.
I'm purchasing CrossOver and will use this for the duration of the Simulator subscription. Should things prove out for me and I move forward to trading non-play money, I'll invest in a gaming PC, which'll have an added option of using more than 2 secondary monitors (a limitation of my MBP).