Gold is not useless in industry. It is used to conduct electricity in many industrial settings. It also has other uses - dentists use it as a tooth crown etc. That it is useful is why it has value.

Yes, storing and transporting gold for financial purposes may be a waste of resources. But gold is easier to store than most commodities - put it in a vault for several centuries and forget about it. You can't do that with strawberries. You can transport a lot of value in several ounces of gold without much space needed.