Let's bring back the example in the parent: you see a coworker down the hall, wave, then walk towards him only to pass him awkwardly. In this scenario, the wave coupled with walking towards a person sends a signal like "I have something to say to you." The awkwardness is caused because there was an expectation set up that was not what you intended. Also, the next time he sees you down the hallway he'll feel like he has to wave since that is what you did before.

Instead, consider this: just ignore the guy, if he waves or says Hi, just nod while you pass him. It might seem rude/dismissive at first, but if you have no underlying reason for malice and you can prove that at a subsequent interaction (e.g. conversation at a water cooler) then what you'll have done is set up an expectation that you don't want to be bothered when you're walking from point A to point B.