shutting down takes ages (HTC Desire 2.1) I wanted to reboot my HTC and it was shutting down for more than 10-15mins so I removed the battery...

What can I do next time? Is that ok to be shutting down for ever?

The mobile is almost new one. Not much stuff installed. Primarily used for web browsing.
Has every subsequent reboot taken just as long? If so take the phone into a local store or call your carrier support line and ask them to wipe your phone so you can start out fresh. See if a fresh start helps.