First, tell him to find a different shop!
I'm bigger than he is, and the only consideration I had when I bought my new bike was:
1.) No carbon fiber
2.) Nice wheelset
Honestly, it depends on his budget, but basically anything is going to be fine for him. He could even go with a carbon fork if he wanted to, there was a big debate at the LBS when I bought my bike, but in the end even Trek said that a decent quality carbon fork would be fine for "any" rider, as long as they aren't doing any offroading.
If he has the budget, stick to steel road bikes. In fact, honestly, the Surly Long Haul Trucker "Complete" build has to be the ideal clyde road build. The thing is a tank, and the components are designed for long trips with lots of weight. The only thing I, and a LBS I talked to would recommend is having the LBS rebuild both wheels on delivery. Meaning, have the take the wheel apart, and hand-rebuild it. Most will charge a nominal fee, the one here quoted me "oh, twenty bucks would be fine" to rebuild both wheels.
Another is the Bianchi Volpe. I kind of kick myself for not spending the extra cash and getting one, but oh well
. They are tanks, and again are built for durability. And again, the only thing I'd have done is to have the wheelset rebuilt on delivery. Different LBS said they wouldn't even charge me to do this if I bought a Volpe.
Basically, he can ride whatever he wants. Just don't buy it from *that* shop.