To securely copy files from/to local computer to/ from remote server:

scp <file_path> <user>@<remote_host>:<remote_dir>

scp <user>@<remote_host>:<remote_file_path> <local_dir>

Source: Transferring files between remote server and local system

To create a symlink

ln -s /path/to/original /path/to/link

so on local system, for example, to create a link that points to download folder (so that you'll have an access from descktop), 

ln -s /Users/name/Downloads /Users/name/Desktop

by the way -s means soft link, if you omit -s, it'll create a hard link, which you don't want to do unless you have a specific reason to do so. Don't omit -s

To remove a symlink

unlink link

So if you’ve created a symlink /Users/name/Desktop to point to /Users/name/Downloads, go to /Users/name/Desktop directory, run

ls -l

to confirm the symlink that you are to remove, then type

unlink Downloads