This demo uses imperative chart updates. The generated code is a faithful Angular translation: open it in CodeSandbox to run and tweak.

import { Component, AfterViewInit, OnDestroy, ViewChild } from '@angular/core';
import {
  ChartComponent,
  ApexAxisChartSeries,
  ApexNonAxisChartSeries,
  ApexChart,
  ApexXAxis,
  ApexYAxis,
  ApexTitleSubtitle,
  ApexDataLabels,
  ApexStroke,
  ApexFill,
  ApexLegend,
  ApexTooltip,
  ApexMarkers,
  ApexPlotOptions,
  ApexResponsive,
  ApexGrid,
  ApexAnnotations,
  ApexStates,
  ApexTheme,
  NgApexchartsModule,
} from 'ng-apexcharts';

export type ChartOptions = {
  series?: ApexAxisChartSeries | ApexNonAxisChartSeries;
  chart?: ApexChart;
  xaxis?: ApexXAxis;
  yaxis?: ApexYAxis | ApexYAxis[];
  title?: ApexTitleSubtitle;
  subtitle?: ApexTitleSubtitle;
  dataLabels?: ApexDataLabels;
  stroke?: ApexStroke;
  fill?: ApexFill;
  legend?: ApexLegend;
  tooltip?: ApexTooltip;
  markers?: ApexMarkers;
  plotOptions?: ApexPlotOptions;
  responsive?: ApexResponsive[];
  grid?: ApexGrid;
  annotations?: ApexAnnotations;
  states?: ApexStates;
  theme?: ApexTheme;
  colors?: string[];
  labels?: any;
};

@Component({
  selector: 'app-chart',
  standalone: true,
  imports: [NgApexchartsModule],
  templateUrl: './chart.component.html',
})
export class AppChart implements AfterViewInit, OnDestroy {
  @ViewChild('chart') chart!: ChartComponent;
  private pictoState: any = { layout: 'heart', mark: 'person' };

  private pictoOptions = (): any => {
        return {
          plotOptions: {
            unit: {
              positions: this.pictoState.layout,
              shape: this.pictoState.mark ? 'pictogram' : 'circle',
              pictogram: { mark: this.pictoState.mark || undefined },
            },
          },
        }
      };

  private pictoPaint = (): any => {
        document.querySelectorAll('#layout-nav button').forEach(function (b) {
          b.classList.toggle(
            'on',
            b.getAttribute('data-layout') === this.pictoState.layout,
          )
        })
        document.querySelectorAll('#mark-nav button').forEach(function (b) {
          b.classList.toggle('on', b.getAttribute('data-mark') === this.pictoState.mark)
        })
      };

  private pictoWire = (chart: any): any => {
        document.querySelectorAll('#layout-nav button').forEach(function (b) {
          b.addEventListener('click', function () {
            this.pictoState.layout = b.getAttribute('data-layout')
            chart.updateOptions(this.pictoOptions(), false, true)
            this.pictoPaint()
          })
        })
        document.querySelectorAll('#mark-nav button').forEach(function (b) {
          b.addEventListener('click', function () {
            this.pictoState.mark = b.getAttribute('data-mark')
            chart.updateOptions(this.pictoOptions(), false, true)
            this.pictoPaint()
          })
        })
        this.pictoPaint()
      };

  public chartOptions: Partial<ChartOptions> = {
          series: [820, 410, 170],
          chart: {
            type: 'unit',
            id: 'pictoCrowd',
            height: 460,
            animations: {
              enabled: true,
              speed: 900,
            },
          },
          labels: ['Weekday shifts', 'Weekend shifts', 'On call'],
          colors: ['#1D4E89', '#00A6A0', '#FF8A3D'],
          plotOptions: {
            unit: {
              layout: 'custom',
              positions: 'heart',
              // A glyph, not a dot. `mark` names one of the pictograms; the chart fits
              // it to the box the dot would have occupied, so switching between them
              // never re-flows the layout.
              shape: 'pictogram',
              pictogram: {
                mark: 'person',
              },
              // The same specific volunteer keeps their glyph and colour when the layout
              // changes, so a shape swap reads as the crowd walking rather than as a
              // slideshow.
              transition: 'flow',
              unitValue: 10,
              clusterLabels: {
                show: false,
              },
            },
          },
          legend: {
            position: 'bottom',
          },
        };
  ngAfterViewInit() {
    (window as any).ApexCharts.setLicense('APEX-eyJleHBpcnlEYXRlIjoiMjEyNi0wNy0wNCIsImlzc3VlRGF0ZSI6IjIwMjYtMDctMjgiLCJwbGFuIjoicHJlbWl1bSIsImRvbWFpbnMiOlsiYXBleGNoYXJ0cy5jb20iLCIxMjcuMC4wLjEiLCJsb2NhbGhvc3QiXSwic2lnIjoieVBmb1VCc0Z3TU9ZdUEyaEZkR0I2Y1FtZ0JITUtXcVdJSjB2NVRESXRZbFR3eDJMUmh6R2x0RUc3VXJ4X0s3b25ZMWRZb2Z2VGItN01ydFYyNDVyOWcifQ==');
    this.pictoWire(this.chart)

    function pictoWire(chart) {
          document.querySelectorAll('#layout-nav button').forEach(function (b) {
            b.addEventListener('click', () => {
              this.pictoState.layout = b.getAttribute('data-layout')
              this.chart.updateOptions(this.pictoOptions(), false, true)
              this.pictoPaint()
            })
          })
          document.querySelectorAll('#mark-nav button').forEach(function (b) {
            b.addEventListener('click', () => {
              this.pictoState.mark = b.getAttribute('data-mark')
              this.chart.updateOptions(this.pictoOptions(), false, true)
              this.pictoPaint()
            })
          })
          this.pictoPaint()
        }
  }

  ngOnDestroy() {
    // no cleanup needed
  }
}