Is RF propagation path loss symmetrical and independent of clutter location?
Yes, the channel you're considering is reciprocal. It doesn't matter which way around you're going through it.
BUT: For statistic properties, it does matter, and that's something you'll see when, for example, doing longer-term channel diversity measurements. That's a larger topic pretty quickly, so if MIMO / diversity gains is of no concern to you, let's not dig into that.