When I play the Ruy Lopez opening, I usually get my bishop chased all the way down to the second rank by two pawns. I don't know if this is common at higher levels of play but it seems like a pointless pursuit.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 b5 { Spanish Game, Morphy Defence, Caro Variation } 5. Bb3 a5 6. a3 a4 7. Ba2 *
Does doing this give either player an advantage at any point during the game?