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As many posters have commented, the most likely origin for GW using the 8 pointed star as the symbol of Chaos lies with Michael Moorcock. On his website, http://www.multiverse.org, Moorcock is quoted as saying, in 2001:

Michael Moorcock wrote:I drew it on a piece of paper on the kitchen table while thinking over the first Elric stories! Since then people seem to have claimed an ancient ancestry for it just as Deep Purple claimed that Stormbringer was an ancient myth when someone asked them why they'd called their album by that name...

I drew the eight-arrows first and then I had the single arrow of law later, as I recall. The first person to put the symbol on the shield was Jim Cawthorn, whose early sketches of Elric were superb. The arrows, of course, represent diversity. The single arrow represents the kind of mind who believes there is only one version of the truth

When, in 2003, he was asked if the creation of the symbol was his, he replied:

Michael Moorcock wrote:Yes, I did invent the Chaos symbol. I wanted something which symbolised multiple possibilities as well as entropy/dissipation.

Furthermore, on the same site there appears to be a lengthy thread regarding the Chaos symbol and GW's use of it (http://www.multiverse.org/fora/showthread.php?p=17736#post17736) in which the man is rather less than complimentary about the whole WFB/40K universe.

Now, as I've strayed from the OP here, I'd just like to get behind the whole 'infinite possibilities' interpretation of the symbol and beg your indulgence for my sidetracking.

 TheDiscoSpider wrote:
The arrows point in all directions, which I think is meant to represent all possibilities. Which is representative of pure Chaos itself; formless and ever expansive.

This!

it could be because it's pointy... and chaos likes pointy.
and maybe a circle would be boring.

In universe, four of the points represent the four Chaos Gods, and the other four certain Greater Daemons, or guys like Be'lakor.

That is, according to the Fantasy book Archaon: Everchosen.

some bastarditation of the muslim 8 pointed star.

 ArbitorIan wrote:

 Popenfresh wrote:
Because Terry Pratchett.

Since Pratchett's Discworld started in 1983 as a parody of the sort of 'serious' fantasy Moorcock wrote in the early 60s, it's not surprising that he uses 8 as the 'number of magic' as well. GW just used the same reference point.

There was an awful lot in early WHFB and 40k that was borrowed from Moorcock (with liberal doses of Heinlein and Herbert in 40k's case)...

Pratchett was also into D&D, there are 8 schools of magic in D&D.

 SilverMK2 wrote:
And don't read any of his books if you like female characters to be strong and independent

To be fair, it was the fifties. Back then, it wasn't just the norm for women to be stuck without an education or job opportunities, it was the law. Don't expect much good to come out of that time period, aside from a few rare gems.

 Melissia wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:
And don't read any of his books if you like female characters to be strong and independent

To be fair, it was the fifties. Back then, it wasn't just the norm for women to be stuck without an education or job opportunities, it was the law. Don't expect much good to come out of that time period, aside from a few rare gems.

To be even more fair this thread is over a year old. Why was it Necro'd? The world may never know.