Finally he left a quiet, open spot with one direction and goes by (7)
I believe the answer is:
elapses
'goes by' is the definition.
('elapse' can be a synonym of 'go by')
'finally he left a quiet open' is the wordplay.
'finally' suggests the final letters.
'left' becomes 'lases' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'a quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano', ie soft or quiet).
'open' indicates putting letters inside (some letters open a gap in others).
The final letter of 'he' is 'e'.
'lases' placed around 'p' is 'lapses'.
'e'+'lapses'='ELAPSES'
'spot with one direction and' acts as a link.
I am not very happy about this link. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for elapses that I've seen before include "Passes (in time)" , "Slips away" .)