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St. Anthony had a different opinion regarding the burial of the saints and martyrs compared to what our church does i.e. putting their wrapped bodies in glass cases instead of burying them as a sign of honor. I quote St. Antony from Vita Antony:

"The Egyptians are wont to honor with funeral rites, and to wrap in linen cloths at death the bodies of good men, and especially of the holy martyrs; and not to bury them underground, but to place them on couches, and to keep them in their houses, thinking in this to honor the departed. And Antony often urged the bishops to give commandment to the people on this matter. In like manner he taught the laity and reproved the women, saying, 'that this thing was neither lawful nor holy at all. For the bodies of the patriarchs and prophets are until now preserved in tombs, and the very body of the Lord was laid in a tomb, and a stone was laid upon it, and hid it until He rose on the third day (144).' And thus saying, he showed that he who did not bury the bodies of the dead after death transgressed the law, even though they were sacred. For what is greater or more sacred than the body of the Lord? Many therefore having heard, henceforth buried the dead underground, and gave thanks to the Lord that they had been taught rightly."

Many saints were indeed buried according to the unadorned pattern mentioned in the excerpt by St. Anthony. However, we do want to honor our patriarchs, bishops, priests, and deacons with dignified funerals, unless there are special instructions not to do so. These are God's servants whom He has chosen to shepherd and serve His people. There are also many saints and martyrs whose relics are venerated and esteemed. That does not make this tradition in conflict with the teachings of St. Antony the Great, because "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15 NKJV).     
 
Vita Antonii, written by St. Athanasius the Apostolic, is an insightful biography about the monastic and ascetic discourse of the life of St. Antony the Great. As St. Antony was approaching his own departure from this world, he insisted that his death and burial be as simple as his life. What great humility! He was well aware of the love and admiration people from near and far had for him; yet he tried to deflect it during his life and discourage any veneration of his body or any special dignity ascribed to him even after his departure.
 
Regarding the excerpt you have mentioned, it follows that St. Antony quickly left those monks to whom he had given instructions concerning his death and burial; because he realized it would be too difficult for them to adhere to his request. "Now knowing this, and fearing lest they might so treat his body also, Antony hastened and took leave of the monks in the outer hills." His confidence for fulfillment of this unusual request was only in his two personal disciples of fifteen years, who had been charged with assisting him as he aged. They indeed complied with every request he had made in his most elegant farewell speech. He was a humble, virtuous, and unselfish man. He knew how much it would mean to these special four people to obtain some of his relics; so he distributed his very few possessions among them. Regarding the items that St. Antony instructed his disciples to give St. Athanasius and St. Serapion (his worn out cloak and the other sheepskin) St. Athanasius reveals:

"And they, who received the sheepskins of the blessed Antony and the cloak that he wore out, each guard them as some great treasure. For to look on them is like looking at Antony, and to wear them is like joyfully taking on us his teachings. This is the end of Antony's life in the body, as that was the beginning of his religious life. And if this is but little to tell of such virtue as his, yet from this little do you judge what manner of man was Antony, the man of God, who from youth to such great age held unchanged his keen quest for a better life...."

If these simple items were regarded with such love and dignity, how much more would a public burial have entailed. Today, one of the most popular religious sites to visit is the Monastery of St. Antony the Great in the Red Sea, as he continues to bring disciples to Christ. St. Athanasius states "For though they themselves act in secret and wish to be unnoticed, yet the Lord shows them as lanterns to all...Now therefore, read this to the other brethren, that they may learn what should be the life of monks and may believe that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ glorifies them that glorify Him..."