Any deck that speaks to you will do.
The Rider Waite deck is pretty popular and probably the most iconic. I use it because to me it feels like the only deck I'd respect fully. Most other decks feel kind of like cheap imitations to me. I'm sure there's great decks out there that work for people. Great, keep using them. I'll stick to Ye Old Faithful.
So I have this respect for the cards and the images always draw me in more than those of any other deck I've seen. Before I had my own deck I already had one of the cards: Judgment.
I found it in a friend's bedroom one day and he said I could keep it. I stared at that image for many years before I went and got my own deck. You could say the presence of that card and it's energy ruined me for other decks forever
I don't think I could help you study the symbolism. Your first impression of a card is usually how it's meant for you. I feel you draw a card exactly when you need to see that card because of the reaction it triggers in you. I only read for myself every once in a while because I'm not very confident about doing readings for others but I've never pulled a card that didn't make sense at that particular time.