I'm doing it in a different way, using attribute selectors, a background image and a padding (as xandy also suggested):
a[href$=".pdf"] {
padding-right: 21px; /* space for the icon */
background: url(graphics/pdf.png) no-repeat right bottom;
}
This works in IE7 too.
Here's a complete example
In IE7 the PDF icon won't be visible as it does not understand data URIs:
PDF
Here's the PDF