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In recent times we find that there is a considerable growth in the business of self proclaimed Godman and spiritual organization all having their self made philosophy without having any authenticated root in time less Vedanta or if some claiming they are following Vedanta they take limited portion of Vedanta to support their notion of God being ultimately impersonal or in worst case they themselves are God. So if we have to trace back the root of the conception of Supreme being impersonal we can't avoid the work of celebrated Legend the greatest Advaitin ever Adi Shankaracharya. The world knows him for his unsurpassed knowledge on Vedanta and its practical application. More or less all the authenticate organization following the Advaita school of thought depends on his philosophical work specially his commentary on Vedanta sutra known as Sariraka Bhasya and his Gita and upanisad Bhasya. If we go to the Advaitins they will all teach us that how Supreme Brahman is ultimately impersonal and will support their statement by quoting Shankaracharya's work. What they will not tell us that Shankaracharya was a Vaisnava and his most of the writing indicates that. So I have consolidated quotes from major writings of Shankaracharya which reflects his devotion towards supreme Lord Krishna and his acceptance of supreme brahman is not impersonal rather He has form.

 [Note: As to why Adi Shankara later came to be wrongly depicted as though he smeared ashes in his body, followed the six faiths equally (Shanmatha), and had works such as "Shivanandalahari" (singing deities other than Vishnu to be supreme and superior to Vishnu) attributed to his name is a matter that is outside the scope of our discussion, at this point.]

In his introductory section in bhagavad gItA bhAShya Shankaracharya writes:

"Vishnu, the one known by the name nArAyaNa, the primordial Creator" (Adi kartA nArAyaNAkhyO viShNuH), that he is "beyond the material universe" (nArAyaNaH parO avyaktAt) and that He is the original Creator of the universe (sa bhagavAn sRShTvEdaM jagat)

Narayana is beyond the Avyakta ;

From the Avyakta the Mundane Egg is born ;

Within the Mundane Egg, verily, are these worlds

(Sri Sankara's commentary to Bhagavad Gita, 10.8)

ahaM paraM brahma vAsudevAkhyaM sarvasya jagataH prabhava utpattiH | matta eva sthiti-nAsha-kriyA-phalopabhoga-lakSaNaM vikriyA-rUpaM sarvaM jagat pravartate |

"(Lord Krishna says) 'I, the Supreme Parabrahman known by name as vAsudeva, am the source of the whole world. From Me alone evolves the whole universe in all its changes, including existence and dissolution, action, effect, and enjoyment'":

(Introductory Chapter, Sri Sankara's bhagavadgItAbhASya).

paramArtha-tattvaM ca vAsudevAkhyaM parabrahma-abhideya-bhutaM visheSataH abhivyaj~nayad vishiSTa-prayojana-sambandha-abhideyavad gItA-shAstraM

"It (the Bhagavad Gita) expounds specially the nature of the Supreme Being and the Truth known as vAsudeva, the para-brahman, who forms the subject matter of the discourse":

In the bhagavad gItA bhAShya 11.43, Shri Shankara says that Vishnu is the unparallelled Supreme Deity, and that there can not be another Supreme Deity, since that would violate logic:

na tvat samo(a)sti, abhi adhika kuto-anyo loka-trayo-api, apratima-prabhAva?

(Bhagavad Gita, 11.43)

[There is none who is equal to you, and when that is the case, how even can there be any who is superior to You in any of three worlds, Oh Lord, who is of unrivaled power?]

Commenting on Gita verse 10.2, Sri Shankara explains:

na me viduH na jAnanti suragaNAH brahmAdayaH | kiM te na viduH? mama prabhavaM prabhAvaM prabhushakti-atishayam, athavA prabhavaM prabhavanaM utpattiM | na-api mahaRSayaH bhRgvAdayaH viduH | kasmAt te na viduriti-ucyate -- aham AdiH kAraNaM hi yasmAt devAnAm mahaRSINAM ca sarvashaH sarvaprakAraiH

["(Lord Krishna says) 'neither the devas -- Brahma and others -- know; -what do they not know? My majesty, abundance of lordly power-or, derived in the sense of 'coming into being', it means origin. Nor even the great sages, Bhrgu, Marici, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasistha. This is because I (Lord Krishna) am the Supreme Primordial Cause of all, including the devas and the sages.'"]

in the Gita Bhashya (9.25) that Vaishnavas (Shankaracharya specifically uses the word "Vaishnavas" here) attain to the highest state of liberation, while the worshippers of other devatas receive comparitively petty fruits.

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 let us see how Shankara glorifies Lord Narayana in his Upanisad commentary

"IdRgIshvaro nArAyaNAkhyaH"

"Supreme Lord is with the name nArAyaNa" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad bhAShya, 3.7.3)

"eSha devo viShNur anantaH... sarva bhUtAnAM antarAtmA" ~"Vishnu, or Ananta, who is the primordial being, who has all the three worlds for His body, and who is the in-dwelling Soul of all the beings"  (Mundaka Upanishad bhAShya, 2.1.4)  

Chandogya 8.12.3 Shankara Bhashyam:

evaṃ ca sa uttamapuruṣa uttamaścāsau puruṣaścetyuttamapuruṣaḥ sa evottamapuruṣo 'kṣisvapnapuruṣau vyaktāvavyaktaśca suṣuptaḥ samastaḥ saṃprasanno 'śarīraśca svena rūpeṇeti /

eṣāmeṣa svena rūpeṇāvasthitaḥ kṣarākṣarau vyākṛtāvyākṛtāvapekṣyottamapuruṣaḥ kṛtanirvacano hyayaṃ gītāsu /

Here, Shankara refers to the Nirvachanam in Gita, hence again confirming that the Uttama Purusha is Vishnu only. This is supported by Anandagiri, who in the Chandogya Upanishad Tika, quotes the Gita 15.17 and 15.18.

All this firmly establishes that the “Uttama Purusha” spoken about in the Chandogya Upanishad is none but Lord Vishnu only. These also establishe that only Lord Krishna is glorified as Supreme Brahman in Bhagavad Gita.

Now let us see from his commentary on Vedanta sutra (Sariraka Bhasya)

From time to time, however, fallen souls, driven by their lowly nature which they have unfortunately accrued as a result of their own actions (karma), have developed a sense of contempt at such single-minded ananya bhakti. Shankara, the advaita AcArya, instead says that the vaiShNava position regarding the (i) supremacy of nArAyaNa, (ii) the practice of single-minded devotion, and (iii) the various holy rites and rituals enjoined in pA~ncarAtra saMhitas are not to be refuted, but respected by any one who claims to be in the path of Vedanta (Upanishads):

"tatra yattAvaducyatE yO 'sau nArAyaNaH parO 'vyaktAt prasiddhaH paramAtmA sarvAtmA... yadyapi tasya bhagavatO 'bhigamanAdilakShaNam ArAdhanam ajasram-ananya-cittayA'bhiprEyatE, tadApi na pratisidhyatE, shrutismRtyOrIshvarapraNidhAnasya prasiddhatvAt"

[We do not intend to oppose the doctrine that nArAyaNa, who is superior the material universe, who is the supreme soul (paramAtmA), and the soul for all (sarvAtmA)... Nor do we mean to object to the inculcation of unceasing single-minded devotion on the Supreme Lord which appears in the Pancharatra doctrine under the forms of abhigamana (visiting Vishnu temples with utmost devotion in mind, with senses subdued) etc., for that we are to meditate on the Lord we know full well from shruti and smRti. - Brahma Sutra Bhashya, 2.2.42]

SHANKARA ACCEPTS THAT SUPREME LORD IS VISHNU AND HE HAS MULTIPLE FORM IN HIS VEDANTA SUTRA COMMENTARY

So from all the above verses from auhentic Vedantic text what we can conclude is:

1. That Adi Shankara was a Vaishnava though philosophically an advaitin,

2.  That Adi Shankara has identified "Ishvara" in "IshvaraH sarva bhUtAnAM" as Lord Narayana only,

3. That Adi Shankara has specifically used the term "Vaishnavas" in the Gita Bhashyas, and states that "The worshipers of other deities reach the realm of those other deities. Even though their effort in worshiping is the same, they do not reach the highest result, but obtain finite results which are impermanent and run out in time. Vaishnavas alone reach the highest fruit of mukti",

4. That Adi Shankara has specifically praised the method of worship followed by the Vaishnavas (including their single-minded devotion to Vishnu without praying to other deities) as Vedic,

5. That all Vedanta Acharyas (including Adi Shankara) have identified the Supreme God praised by Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu/Narayana/Krishna/Vasudeva as the Supreme Being sung in the Bhagavad Gita; he thus stands against even Adi Shankara's position regarding the Gita,

6. That it was accepted by even Adi Shankara that Lord Vishnu ALONE is praised as the Supreme Being EVERYWHERE in the Vedas, Itihasas, and Sattvika Puranas, and

7. That Vyasa has stated in the Mahabharata as follows: "Having examined all the Vedic scriptures inside out many times, I deem the following to be sure: That it is Narayana who is always to be meditated upon".