Many programmers like syntax, since coding AST-style can be tedious sometimes. Sure, you can create your own reader macro with Lisp, but that is harder than overriding some methods in Ruby. Rails is an example that opinionated software has an edge sometimes and Ruby compared to Lisp is opinionated in terms of syntax.
There are indeed some people who say "uh, nice syntax, readability, uh, big deal". Those are the folks who fail to grasp the point that programming is a human endeavor and that having your code read by other humans is a crucial element.
Lisp may indeed attract a large group of nice, intelligent people who don't get this. That is a further, fatal problem in the language.
Ruby has many problems itself but it gets that readability is important and it gets that, by extension, the humans relations that a programming language generates are important. Lispers don't seem to see the problem in an exclusive attitude and essentially closed community. The ruby community understands the need to have a good community open to people even if the Ruby community doesn't always succeed at this.
It all comes together
I don't see how the fact many programmers like syntax makes it better.
I also don't see how "coding AST-style" can be tedious, especially since it's so much easier to automate the process with macros. Granted, you'll want an editor with support for s-expressions.
Many programmers like syntax, since coding AST-style can be tedious sometimes. Sure, you can create your own reader macro with Lisp, but that is harder than overriding some methods in Ruby. Rails is an example that opinionated software has an edge sometimes and Ruby compared to Lisp is opinionated in terms of syntax.